Mar 15 2024
Today was a ship’s tour to see the Elqui Valley starting in the port of Coquimbo, Chile. The port is located on the west coast of Chile in the Coquimbo Region. The waterfront are was pretty rundown with unfinished construction, trash and many shacks. As we rounded the bay, we saw many high rise condos along the beach of the local resort area in La Serena. And finally Bill was free to get off the boat again.
The town of La Serena was very busy. We went into some “local” markets that were not local at all, with most of the vendors selling the same old Chinese imported junk that is all over South of America. The first market we went to is called La Recova and was actually a colonial marketplace built in 1867 for selling poultry and eggs. The building had to be restored after the 1975 earthquake.
Behind this tourist mall was an alley where the locals were selling produce, flowers and food. I had my camera and the locals were enthusiastic about my taking their photos. The three markets on this excursion were really a waste of our time. We all would have preferred to see some of the towns’ museums and historical sites. In La Serena there is an archeological museum that includes a maori figure donated by Easter Island to Chile. La Serena also has a historical center with many churches, museums and viewpoints, none of which we visited. In the Elqui Valley there were several astronomical observatories high up on the mountain that we only glimpsed from afar in the bus as it sped along the roadway. The area is known for its clear skies and hosts three observatories.
The focus on the day’s trip was the Elqui Valley which is one of many valleys that cross Chile, running West to East between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains at the Argentine border.
The best little town was Vicuña, a small town located 62km east of La Serena. It has a beautiful town center with churches, colonial buildings and statues dedicated to its hometown heroine, Gabriela Mistral. Set in the riverbed of the valley, the main square is dedicated to Mistral with designs, sculptures and motifs inspired by the writer and her work. The town includes several museums that we didn’t get to visit.
Gabriela Mistral was born in Vicuna in 1889. In 1945 she was the first Latin American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. She started out as a school mistress and was a confirmed spinster who was deeply religious. She had many tragedies in her life as well as many accomplishments and accolades.
We visited a pisco distillery to see how the drink is made and taste a sample. The Chileans and Pervuians argue over whose national drink the Pisco is. We liked the Pisco Sours in Peru the best.
The drive through the Coquimbo countryside and the valley was beautiful. We crossed over the large Puclaro reservoir that dammed the Elqui River. We could see kite boarders flying across its bright blue waters.
The town of Coquimbo became a major port in 1811 after Chilean Independence. The bay was first documented by Europeans in 1578 when Sir Francis Drake arrived and named it La Herradura. Coquimbo, in a beautiful natural setting however with a rough, down at the heel feeling. Overall it wasn’t the best tour we went on.
After three stops in Chile, we feel that it is a place we won’t visit again.