For the past two days I have been working in La Serena, a small coastal town- a 6 hour drive from Santiago. I had a few leads here so decided to take a trip. La Serena is a gateway to a place called Valle del Elqui, a mystic valley with arid mountains, indigenous culture, and booming astrological tourism industry (yes the skies are very clear).
New Jersey Transit has some things to learn from TurBus
TusBuses - waiting to head to their destinations,
There is a really comfortable bus - "TurBus" that runs direct to La Serena from Santiago. My ticket was a premium seat (meaning it reclined 180 degrees, had pillow, blanket and other amenities) -11,000 CLP or around $16. The ride is about 6 hours and the seats are tremendously comfortable and safe.
A salón cama style seat- premium and expensive.
The seat reclines, becoming a bed, and you get a blanket and a pillow!
As you can see, traveling long distance by bus is awesome: cost efficient, safe, and fast.
I arrived to La Serena at 5:20 am and had to hang out in the terminal for a while since the town was ghostly!
An ungodly hour at La Serena
On my way to La Serena- the Moon!
At 8 am my AirBnB opened and I went there. This house is owned by the nicest people: a retired couple, both former teachers. In addition to comfortable lodging, they spent time with me discussing problems in education, world politics, and animal rights. Yesterday we had a very stimulating conversation about public va private schools in Chile.
Satchi (the dog and Martin (a 4 month bully :)
I am making my way to Vicuña tonight to do an Astro-tour. But for my two full days in La Serena I experienced many wonderful things and saw an abundance of places. Below are some highlights.
Arquitectura in La Serena is a mix of colonial and adobe style houses. This is a store that sells everything from books to children's costumes.
Note the albatross on top of the cross :)
In the distance you can see el Faro de La Serena - the Lighthouse.
I noticed that La Serena has a lot of flowers: roses, hibiscus, and others I couldn't recognize.
The Japanese Garden, a definite must- see!
Just like Santiago, la Serena has tons of Graffitti - some of it quite loaded...
A bustling downtown
What a wonderful, deep message!
The landlady served breakfast outside today because I mentioned to her yesterday how much I loved her garden.
Mom and kids in Japanese Garden.
Japanese garden- a place of beauty and tranquillity.
Valle Elqui is a cradle of the indigenous civilization called "Diaguita". Diaguitas later mixed with Incas.
Treated myself :) Not gonna eat until the rest of the day!
A Bonsai tree
La Serena streets
This is a great idea! To celebrate International Women's Day, the regional museum invited women to write about themselves in 150 words or less.
Thats pretty much it for La Serena. I am glad I stayed tow full days - I could visit places without rushing, take my time conversing with people, and simply observe the daily life.