Why We Travel - Slide Show - NYTimes.com Cucao Beach, Island of Chiloé, Chile, March 14, 2012 For me, traveling is a social experience of exploring untouched natural places. It's a way to enrich the spirit. After a drive bordering the immense and beautiful Huillinco Lake, we arrived at the isolated beach of Cucao on the Pacific. With the strong sound of breaking waves, I felt the power of nature. I felt free and at the same time, insignificant, in the vast and endless beach. After a while, my husband, son and I walked to one another, took hold of one another's hands and silently walked to the horizon. My sister was there and at that precise moment shot the picture. With its year-round green landscape and hills and strong folklore, it was the perfect destination to show my American husband the south of Chile, my native country.