Sunburns: Feel the Rainbow

I decided I would write about this colorful topic, since I've been complaining about it so much recently.

So, sunburns.

I'm not exceptionally pale. I do burn, but I don't burn very easily nor very frequently. When I do burn, it's usually on my face, shoulders, or back, and it lasts maybe a day or two. So basically what I'm saying is that I've been very lucky, and that karma's a bitch.

This past Saturday, a group of friends and I went to Viña del Mar for the day. It was a blast! It's been a while since I've been to a beach that I can swim at (ok, I know you can swim in the Sound, but just because you can doesn't mean you should). The sun was very warm, the water was very cold, and the company was excellent -- mix them together and put them in to bake, and you get a perfect beach day.We lounged around the beach from around 10:30 to 4:00, swimming, talking, sleeping, eating, reading, and crosswording. For more details, check out my Facebook photo album (or email me for a link).

I did apply sunscreen, more than once. I pride myself in the fact that I didn't burn my face, back, or shoulders. I have already gotten burnt once since I've been in Chile, and decided that once was enough. Besides, I made a promise that I wouldn't get burnt anymore. It (literally) pains me to say that I broke my promise -- but at least I don't half-ass anything. This is the worst burn I've ever gotten, and it covers the largest surface area of any burn I've ever received. Namely, the tops of my feet, my calves, half of my shins, the back of my knees and thighs, and both hips, spreading into the butt region. So I guess in that sense, maybe I do half-ass some things.

In all seriousness, though, it's pretty bad. The worst has been the back of my knees and my right hip. As of today I can completely bend my left knee without pain, but I'm still working on my right knee. As for my hip...I don't even know. At one point, the veins around the burn were bulging and it was a sort of brownish color -- does anyone know if that's normal? The vein-swelling has gone away, so I'm going to assume it's fine.

A Helpful Tip

Never google sunburn side effects. Especially when google throws in some pictures at the top. 

At any rate, walking around with a sunburn in such vulnerable areas has certainly been an experience. I take special care on the metro to make sure I don't get hit in the hip by a handbag, and pants are off limits for a while. I went to my first gymnastics class yesterday, and I've got another tomorrow -- it wasn't as bad as I expected, and I'm hoping it stays that way at least until next week. I can't sit or stand with any kind of fluidity, and I go to bed every night virtually swimming in a pool of lotion.

I'm not saying I'm never going to get burnt again -- I have at least learned not to make promises I can't keep. But for the remainder of this trip, I'm certainly going to try to be more careful -- starting this weekend, with our bike tour around Santiago! I'll make sure to apply plenty of sunscreen.

I promise.