The second part of our week in
Northern Chile was scheduled for La Serena, a coastal beach town and the second
oldest city in the country. My bus from Valparaiso to La Serena was scheduled
for 10 am and after a tiny transportation hiccup (one last overly scenic view up the mountains in the micro…) I was off on the
very comfortable, picturesque Route 5 highway to meet Allison and Shannan. We
stopped a few times and the six hour ride grew closer to eight hours including
a thirty minute stretch-your-legs-eat-an-empanada break. Upon arrival to the
terminal I took a quick cab to Hostel El Arbol. It was adorable and reminiscent
of New Mexico. Isabel, the owner met me outside and gave me a tour. The hostel
was immaculately clean (unlike some of our previous experiences), warm, and
homey. We had our 4-bed room that we
shared with Cody, a young man who just completed his EOD program commitment and
was traveling.
After “the best shower in Chile
yet” and a nice dinner, we ventured to meet the other volunteers vacationing in
a nearby cabana for the week. It was great to get together and swap stories on
host family characters, teaching experiences (or lack thereof), and differing
town life. We wandered to the “centro” with some faithful stray dog as guides
and all shared a few liters of Escudo at one of the only open bars.
Thursday morning, the girls and I
had plans to visit Pisco-Elqui Valley but stayed in town and explored the local
establishments instead. We walked a lot, which was a welcome change given my
sedentary lifestyle here and close proximity to everything in Galvarino. The north is much sunnier and temperate this
time of year. Along our journey we encountered an interesting gold-toothed
woman that upon hearing us speak English asked us to translate messages from
her Alaskan online boyfriend. Obliging for a brief period, the story took a
bizarre turn and we politely excused ourselves.
Friday morning we decided to
discover the Isla de Damas. It is a beautiful island full of wild life, about a
two-hour bus ride from La Serena. After deferring Isabel’s trying to oversell
us on an overpriced tour, we decided to travel via the bus and see what
happened when we arrived. We left the hostel at 8:45 and waited at the bus stop
until 9:15 when Allison was about to make a joke about a rickety, overly packed
bus pulls up—that turned out to be what we were waiting for. We squeezed on and
stood for a few stops but then I settled onto a plastic stool in the middle of
the aisle for the duration of the bumpy trip around curved and vast desert
roads. We arrived in Punto de Chorros 2 ½ hours later where we were immediately
greeted and handed life jackets. The boat ride out to the islands was cold and
windy (the weather forecast did not match what we encountered) but very much
worth it. I saw sea otters, sea lions (aptly named Lobos del Mar which translates to wolves of the sea), penguins,
dolphins and all kinds of exotic birds. We hiked to the top of one of rock
formations on the island and saw even more. The contradiction of desert cacti,
penguins, and various sea-life was remarkable.
Saturday morning before boarding
our bus back to reality, we departed early for Vicuna. The town is home to the
Capel Pisco distillery about an hour outside of La Serena. We took a far more
comfortable ride to Vicuna and then a collectivo to the distillery. Ten minutes
and 1,500 pesos later we were signed up and ready to go on the 11am tour. The
distillery is beautiful even in the off-season and the tour was great. They
were in the bottling productions process and we were able to see it in action,
very Laverne and Shirley. At the end we
sampled a few varieties, some better than others. Following the tour we stopped
for Chilean Chinese food (they have a stronger presence here than one would
imagine…) and a stroll around the square where we patronized some local
vendors. It was the perfect ending to an
unforgettable week.
I found myself saying repeatedly
that I never wanted to leave but was reminded by my travel mates to enjoy what
we had done and seen rather than wish for more. This advice is a foundation for
my attitude while in Chile. Things may be different, uncomfortable, imperfect
and even irritating at times; however, my goal is to embrace each experience
and allow it to shape me into the person I am meant to be.
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