Monday, 16 May 2011

Paradise regained

After bussing through the somewhat less-than-inspiring desert in Chile's north - or maybe I am being unfair comparing the north of Chile to the south of Bolivia - we came to the pleasant port town of La Serena, which largely lived up to its name. We spent a couple of relaxed days in the town or on its beach nearby, and where we saw Chilean political protest in action - about a hundred students and families protesting about some environmental outrage or other. The next day we ventured out on a boat to see the Humbolt penguin reserve; no luck spotting dolphins or whales but we did see an otter having lunch, which was great.


Flee!

Humbolt penguins doing their thing

Sea otter almuerzo

Having exhausted the possibilities in La Serena we ran the gamut of colectivo drivers trying to turn a profit from some tourists on a slow day, and sped off through Vicuna, later to arrive in a veritable oasis, the fantastic Elqui Valley a few hundred miles north of Santiago. It's a geographic anomoly, with towering desert mountains on either side of a lush, permanently watered valley covered in pisco and malbec vineyards. We opted for the most remote village in the region to stay, and were so glad we did that we extended our stay at the wonderful Tresora de Elqui hotel by another two nights.

horsemen in the Elqui Valley

long view of Elqui Valley

the moon through a mamalluca telescope

The lifestyle here is more reminiscent of Italy, Spain or France - days involve lounging by the pool in the fierce sun, reading in Castellano, cycling to artisanal villages and pisco vineyards, and continuing our remote job search for Ecuador. At night we wander about town or visit the terrific Mamalluca Observatory - the biggest telescope in the world, through which I actually saw Saturn with my own eyes! Our companions continue to be a strange melange of europeans: german families, posh english gappers, tourists from other parts of Chile, and the pace of life is relaxed. It will be a struggle to pull ourselves away from this little idyll for the trip to Santiago, but all good things must come to an end...

Enjoying some local vino collapso after a long ride

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