Blogs from Coquimbo Region, Chile, South America - page 5

Book I am reading. Alex Cross's Trail by James Patterson. A true story about the events of lynching in the deep south and one mans campaign against it. Compelling and tearful reading. . I am writing this sat under a cloudless sky by a hostel swimming pool. It is 8.45am. All around there are the mountains of the Andes, in every conceivable shade of brown. The green of the garden in which I am sat is a stark contrast reminding me that I am between the desert of the north and the fertile soil of the south. It is very peaceful with only the sound of a cockerel breaking the silence as he welcomes a new day. Yesterday I finally managed to speak to a manager at my bank. My cards have now been cancelled again ... read more

After I had left Herb & Ron I headed back into Copiapo, to the main plaza, Plaza Prat. I had decided I couldn't be bothered to ride up the Rio Copiapo valley to see some grapes. I would rather look round the museum. I pulled up in the space reserved for "motos" that Herb & I caught up with Ron earlier that morning. The museum was a short walk round the corner but it was closed. I wasn't too surprosed as it was nearly 3 pm and everywhere was still shut. The sign on the gate seemed to suggested it opened again at 3.30 so I headed back to the square. Opposite the bike was a pleasant little cafe that had out door seating and was open. I took Ron's advice. The best place is where ... read more

A 6-hour bus journey does not sound like fun but the bus ride from Santiago to La Serena was actually pretty awesome. I parked myself right at the front of the bus so that I could get the best views and was definately not disappoined. My fellow passengers seemed less than excited and spent most of the journey asleep so in comparison I must have looked like an excited puppy whipping my head back and forth to check out the surroundings. I was in full-on tourist mode so I even got a couple of photos although sadly they never come out as good as you hope. One other passenger who was awake however, was an adorable little Chilean girl who I seemed to make friends with despite neither of us understanding anything that the other one ... read more

We arrived in Santiago at about 5:30AM. After paying the $132 USD reciprocity fee immigration was a breeze.I got some money out of an ATM (they all seem to charge a $2500 Chilean peso service fee, on top of whatever your bank charges) and was soon on my way with TransVip airport shuttle for only $6000 peso to meet the rest of the group. Today was essentially a travel day, with a 7-hr bus ride to La Serena. For some bizarre reason we boarded a bus at the central bus station to take us to another station where the La Serena bus was waiting. It was only about a 10-min transfer but I quickly dozed off, from the lack of sleep on the trans-equatorial flight. The hotel we stayed at was Hotel El Escorial. It was ... read more

Vicuna--Smiles and Tears Leaving coastal La Serena, the little local bus was crammed to the aisles as we headed up the Elqui Valley. We passed fertile farmlands, then hills covered with saguaro-like cactus, tiny adobe pueblos, a dam that created a lake submerging vineyards on its edges and finally regal views of the snow-capped Andes. After an hour, we arrived at Vicuna, the largest town in the valley. Still, Vicuna is a relatively small town of 25,000; as in most such places, people are initially wary of out-of-towners--those who stay a day or two and pronounce the town boring. I am clearly a foreigner, for one just doesn't see middle-aged Chilean women with hiking boots and a pony tail. However, whenever I smiled and said, "Hola, buenos dias" to residents, their faces broke into the most ... read more