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La Serena
Our first day as a group was on Day 3, Friday 24th April when we left Santiago and travelled north to La Serena in North Chile. We travelled via public bus which took 7 hours and included a stop for lunch. It was a very pleasant journey - comfy reclining seats, free pillows, air-con and even a film to watch. By 3.30pm we reached the seaside city of La Serena, Chile’s second oldest city in terms of foundations (Santiago being the oldest).
Residential Suiza, our hostel was not a patch on the hotel we had stayed at in Santiago - we had a dark dismal room full of damp, broken walls and rotting tiles. However we had our own room and ensuite so could not really complain.
After settling in we had a talk from a local guide about a day trip to the Elqui Valley the following day and then Christian took us on an orientation tour of the paved city pointing out all the essentials such as ATMs, money exchange and Internet. On our tour we walked to Parque Pedro de Valdivia where we saw some native animals including large condos (similar to vultures)
and spitting llamas plus many stray dogs, a common feature of Chile so far. That evening most of the group went out to dinner at a beachside restaurant. Over dinner we got to know each other better and swapped travel stories.
The Elqui Valley
Our optional day trip to the sunny Elqui Valley began at 10am and we had a 1 hour drive inland to reach the valley. On the journey our chatty local guide, Marcelo kept us all awake with his knowledge of the local area. We made several stops throughout the day, but we spent much time in the minivan too!
During the trip we stopped at a Pisco Factory and Marcelo showed us around and explained how this national drink (a grape like brandy) is made. Marcelo talked us through the process of fermentation of the grapes like wine, boiling, distilling and finally diluting with water to make a beverage of < or = 50%!i(MISSING)n accordance with Chilean law. Then came the good bit - the tasting of the warming 65%!a(MISSING)nd 45%!a(MISSING)lcohol and then a sweet pisco sour made with mango juice that was my favourite. Traditional pisco is normally
clear when made in local barrels, but brown when made in American or French oak barrels to compete with the likes of brandy or whisky.
For lunch we stopped at a restaurant which utilised solar power for cooking. Prior to our meal we saw bread, casseroles and a milk pudding cooking inside special boxes designed with 4 foil flaps to reflect the sun’s rays inwards and a black interior to absorb the rays and cook the food. We enjoyed a sit down 3 course meal of bread and salad, a choice of main and then a choice of dessert. I chose the safe option of chicken casserole for my main, but Mike was adventurous and tried goat. Unfortunately he seemed to have the worst cut - it resembled part of the spinal column! We both opted for the local dessert of peaches and wheat which was exactly what we got. The pudding consisted of sun-dried peaches floating in juice suspended above a layer of wheat. It looked and tasted disgusting.
In the afternoon we visited the small village of Monte Grande, the birthplace of the poet and national icon, Gabriela Mistral who won a Nobel Prize for her
work in 1945. She was born in 1889 and lived in the village until she was 13 years old. Her old school is now a museum dedicated to her life.
Between 7pm and 9pm we had an excellent guided tour of the local Mamalluca Observatory. There are excellent conditions for star gazing in the valley and thus there are many local and national observatories there. Our enthusiastic guide pointed out many constellations from the zodiac to Orion the hunter. The highlight was viewing Saturn plus rings through an indoor telescope. Our guide taught us all about our own galaxy and others in the universe and a short presentation gave us an idea of the size of planets in our own solar system and beyond.
First Night Bus
The next morning we had some free time before meeting up as a group for lunch. By 4.40pm we boarded a public bus bound for the town of San Pedro de Atacama, a little oasis in the middle of the harsh Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. This non-stop drive took 16 hours and we reached San Pedro just after 9am. The journey was fairly comfortable with
reclining seats, bedding and plenty of food, but after 16 hours we were all very eager to get off the bus.
San Pedro de Atacama
A 5 minute walk from the bus station (which resembled a small muddy car park) and we had reached our hostel for the next 2 nights. We were a bit early to check in so we followed Christian on a walk around town. In the main square we saw the 2nd oldest church in Chile, built in 1548. Inside the church the wood in the roof had warped and not surprisingly it looked very old.
San Pedro is full of amenities and is geared up for tourists who flock here to take advantage of the many activities on offer. Christian had lived in San Pedro for 3 years and had worked as a local guide and sand boarding instructor. He told us that the town is nicknamed San Perro because of the large population of dogs which are loved by the locals and thus well fed.
The town is located 2400m above sea level and Christian recommended that we drink coca tea or macerate a ball of coca leaves minus
bitter stems to help overcome altitude sickness. Coca is thought to suppress hunger, thirst and tiredness and help overcome the effects of altitude. We tried the tea which tasted a bit like green tea and was quite palatable, however it would be Bolivia that would really test the beneficial effects of coca...
Horse Riding in the Desert
Mike and I chose to go horse riding for 3 hours in the desert that afternoon led by Christian and a local guide. After getting acquainted with our ride, we rode 2km west of town to the Death Valley aptly named because there are no signs of life there. Along the way we were accompanied by our local guide’s dogs which did not bother us or the horses except when we passed through another dog’s territory and a few fights nearly break out!
My horse Potroto (meaning magic bean) was very well behaved and always did as he was told. The first hour of the trek was spent riding along primitive roads to reach the valley which contains The Salt Mountain Range, shaped by wind and rain. Once we were in the valley we were wowed by beautiful rock
formations and towering sand dunes, it was a truly unique experience riding in the desert. Neither of us attempted to gallop, but we did break out into an intermittent trot which was fun.
Sand Boarding
The next day we returned to Death Valley to try our hand at sand boarding under Christian´s instruction. At just after 3pm we crammed onto a small minibus and headed for the dunes, having to walk the last 10 minutes which was hard work in the hot sun. Christian gave us a very brief 2 minute lesson before we had to climb up the dunes - the hardest part!
Loosely attached to a thin piece of plywood we all attempted to slide down the ´nursery dune´ which was in partial shade. Every time you went down the dunes you had to rub wax onto the middle section of the board. Mike found the friction too great about half way down the slope due to the fact his feet were much bigger than the width of the board and thus would drag in the sand causing him to slow right down to a complete stop! After a few attempts on the nursery
slope, most of the group attempted the steeper dune on the other side. This was just too much for both of us and we chose the easier option of coming down on our bottoms, I do not think it was for us.
Sunset in the Valley of the Moon
We reached the Valley of the Moon, named as such because it is supposed to resemble the surface of the moon, just in time to see sunset. Here we climbed a steep ridge to watch the sun go down. To the east we could see a salt lake and to the west the Andes Mountains lining the border with Bolivia and Argentina. It was a beautiful sight to behold and luckily Mike had the foresight to walk to the end of the ridge and take some photos minus tourists.
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