La Serena

I got back from La Serena this morning. It was a nice place and I'm glad I went, but 2 night buses in 3 nights was rough. Especially after spending 4 weeks playing with small children...I "woke up" on Saturday morning with the beginnings of a cold, which just got worse throughout the weekend. But it didn't affect my activities that much, and I slept better on the way back. At least the night buses didn't require an hour long border stop like the trip to Mendoza, and at least today I had nothing to do but rest. It feels great to have no pressing responsibilities to feel guilty about/have to work through while sick.

On Saturday we went into the Elqui Valley, which runs east from La Serena (on the coast) up into the mountains. The Elqui Valley is one of the regions in Chile that produces grapes for Pisco, the distilled grape liquor that Chile calls it own (and fights with Peru about, of course). One of my coolest pictures from the weekend is this:
which shows the contrast between the green vineyards planted in the valley and the arid slopes that surround it. Other highlights of the day were visiting the Gabriela Mistral museum in Vicuña and a Pisco plant in the valley.

On Sunday we went on a guided excursion to the Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humbolt--three islands off the coast north of La Serena, one of which is home to lots of wildlife including Humbolt Penguins. Here's a sampling:

lobos de mar

the contrast with the guano makes this my best penguin pic

pelicans

After cruising around the penguin island in the boat we got off on a different island to walk around, and then we went back to shore for a tasty late lunch of coastal specialties--fish and crab.

Sunday evening we wandered around La Serena a little more and then finally checked out the beach, which was nice and beachy (sand, waves, and overpriced hotels across the street). It was nice to relax before heading back, and to "see" what there was to see in La Serena itself--not much.