La Serena - A break from the action

My trip to La Serena was the product of my constantly changing travel plans. There are so many places on both sides of the Andes that I want to visit, and originally I wanted to return to Mendoza after Valparaiso and head north through Argentina. However, the buses in Chile are much cheaper, so that made my choice easy. Then the bus from Santiago to the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama was 25 hours long, which was a bit too much for me, so after looking for places to break it up I settled on this sleepy coastal town.

Now, when I booked, I was told there was hiking to be done. On this I was grossly misinformed. So what I ended up seeing was even more Penguins! The penguins here are Humboldt Penguins, an endangered species which are much harder to find than the Magellan Penguins in Puerto Madryn. Getting there involved a crazy bus trip across a desolate, lunar landscape, then a long ride in a boat to a group of 3 islands. We only saw about 30 penguins but they were very active this time, hopping up and down the steep shoreline to tend to their nests. 

I had some time today to explore the town of La Serena. This is a sleepy place, the second oldest city in Chile after Santiago, and you can feel the age in the streets. There aren't very many old buildings left besides a few churches, but the city feels like it is in repose, like the wizened abuelas you see on the park benches. The desert air is chilly this late in the season, but the skies are beautifully clear and blue, the sun shining on the clean streets and the Greek statues on Avenida de los Griegos. Life here moves slowly but surely.

I also took a trip to La Serena's twin town Coquimbo. This town is much less touristy, starting out as a fishing village but now so large that it became home to the enormous Cross of the Third Millenium, an enormous concrete cross on top of the highest hill that you can climb up and see out of. At least, you could if the clouds weren't there. Here you can also find more awesome street art in a different, less polished style to Valparaiso.

After this quiet stay, I will be hitting the road for San Pedro de Atacama, the oasis in the driest desert on Earth. With a sleepover on the bus, I will be there on Sunday morning for a few days of exploration and star gazing. Hasta pronto!

PS I am posting this from Bolivia where the wifi is even worse than Northern Chile, so photos will be few :(

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