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Published: January 7th 2009
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La Serena
The monumental Faro or lighthouse La Serena is a very pleasant town on the coast It is the holiday centre for many Chilians and Argentinan's looking for a little warmth on the beach. As for most of chile going to the beach means taking a warm blanket with you and a wetsuit if you are seriously thinking of getting wet La Serena was a nice surprise. Although the water is no no means warm enough to tempt me the beches are long golden and clean whihc is a lot different from other beaches we have visited here. The wind is blowing , true but is does not have the bitting cold other places further south have.
Despite the warnings from the guide books that in January the beaches are wall to wall bodies today they are almost empty. The stretch a longway and so even though there are quite a few people around they do not feel crowded. Neither Brian nor I are in any way beach people and the idea of spending anytime sitting on a beach is not something that we will do willingly. But it was nice here, peaceful and quiet. The monumental lighthouse at the La Serena end of the beach
La Serena
Jean and the cannon to deter Sir Francis Drake strip is attractive and no doubt played an important role in the past bringing ships safely into port.
Unfortunately those that did come in included the English pirates like Sir Francis Drake who made a habit of torching and sacking La Serena whenever they could just because it was there.
That and earthquakes have made this a somwhat difficult place to establish a permanent settlement. The town itself is some way inland from the beach strip ( no doubt for good stategic reasons) and is a very graceful colonial town. The town has preserved it colonial architecture and this gives it a consistant feeling and a grace that many Chilian towns lack. We walked around for quite a time admiring the buildings, churches, museums and the market which seems to sell all types of crafts and socks. La Serena is the place to buy socks. This I did not know but it is. Nearly every second stall has piles and piles of socks. (2 years ago in France we came across a market that sold mainly ladies bras and panties so obviously there is a system here that I dont get). Despite this we managed to resist the
La Serena
The northern end of the beach socks.
We drove down the Avidue de Mar, the beach front strip, stopped and walked about and looked at hotel after hotel. Then we drove on to teh port town of Coquimbo which adjoins La Serena. Here is all the busy bustle of a pot, houses climbing uo the hilly slopes, older, poorer but a lot more interesting if definately not as gentile. The waterfront is fascinating with fishing boats, tankers, cruise ships and catamarans taking people out for trips. Most of these seemed to inclued the obligatory pirate to welcome passengers onboard. They looked to be based more on Captain Jack rather than on Francis Drake. They also each had a sound system going at full blast. Next to this was the street stalls sellign all sorts of garish souveneirs and junk and then in the middle of it all the fish market which was fasinating. Not like Pike St market where they throw the fish around but still full of an incredible variety of fish and seafood. Next to this was the seals and the pelicans. I have a very soft spot for pelicans as they are found in Bateman's Bay in Australia which is where my
La Serena
The port area parents live and I always love to watch them when we are there.
We visited the Millenium cross built on the hill to celebrate the 2000 anniversay of Christ's birth. It is a beautiful structure with magnificant lines and views. A serene place rising over a bustling city. Check out the pictures.
We then drove down the coast more to various fishing and holiday resorts before settling back on the beach at La Serena for lunch. Now ther is one thing I dont get about Chilians, they dont seem to eat vegetables, salad yes, but rarely anything else. fresh fruit is rare too and if I see anymore melon when I get home I will toss it out. We get so much fresh fruit from Chile at home during our winter and there is next to nothing here. I know they grow it but they dont eat it. Even in the top resurants there is no variety available. Food is generally fairly poor in standard and presentation. We have eaten in the best places and the lesser so and generally this is true. Deserts are heavy and overly complicated, service is friendly and helpful but if I never
La Serena
Brian at the fish market see lamb or potatoes again I am OK with that.
Here on the beach at La Serena we had a good meal, a salad with seafood, very nice, very fresh and they kindly came up with a plate of fruit for desert although this was not on the menu.
So all in all I like La Serena and it is beautiful weather, in a beautiful country, with wonderful people. even if the food is limited I still think this is one of the best places on earth.
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