A lot of time has passed in the chance encounter with the whales on the beach. It’s too late to reach the town of Ático as planned, so we look for a place nearby. We find it in the next green valley along a river that creates an oasis coming from the mountains.

However, there is no town here, only a small settlement. We only see wide, overgrown dunes and a huge, empty beach.

While most beaches, despite their loneliness, usually have a lot of rubbish, it is clean here. The sun sets, tinting the beach and sandstone cliffs golden. The spray of the high waves shines in the warm light. We are here alone. It’s a dream of a beach on the edge of the Panamericana.

I soak in every moment that the sun still shines. I take breathtaking pictures with the drone. The evening here is one of the most beautiful moments of our trip.

Leon’s enthusiasm for being behind the wheel doesn’t diminish even when he’s already in his pyjamas, ready for bed. He keeps playing behind the wheel for a long time until Sara can finally rock him to sleep. It would have been nice if we had spent the evening together.

When the sun goes down I’m still sitting on the camping chair and have a beer in my hand. A year. It’s been a year since my son was born. In a few hours. Tomorrow is Leon’s first birthday.

Und dann ist der Morgen da. Wir hatten den vergangen Tag Sonne, doch der Himmel ist wieder zugezogen. Das macht uns nichts aus und wir begrüßen das neue Lebensjahr unseres kleinen Sohnes Leon. Nach dem Frühstück erkunden wir nochmal den Strand und werden belohnt.

Ein einzelner Seelöwe ruht sich am Strand aus. Ein großes Tier. Und später werden tausende rote Gespensterkrabben aktiv und wuseln über den Strand. Sara macht sich einen Spaß daraus mit Leon hinter den flinken Schalentieren herzujagen.