Eager to make the most of the long Easter Weekend, I decided to travel over 400miles south of Antofagasta to an attractive city called La Serena, the capital of Chile’s fifth region which is located north of Santiago. I managed to catch a ride with my good French friend Emilie; the journey took over ten hours however the changing scenery, good conversation and some entertaining French music made the trip an extremely enjoyable one.
We left Antofagasta early on Good Friday and for the first few hours all that could be seen were the barren hills of the dessert and a handful of dreary mining towns. That said, after living in the desert for eight months I have learnt to appreciate that the desert has its own beauty, perhaps the harder it is to find beauty, the more we treasure it. For example, one single flower found in the desert can appear all the more enchanting because of its rarity. The desert can seem stark and hostile at times and I have grown to value the people who came many years ago to the north of Chile to find work in the mines and have carried on living in what seems to many as an inhospitable land. Antofagasta in particular is known as “la tierra de oportunidades” (the land of opportunities) and I greatly admire the determination and drive of many Chileans who are ready to make tremendous sacrifices to find work “en el norte” (in the North).
As time passed, the scenery became greener until we finally reached La Serena. We then met my very good university friend called Ushmi and my boyfriend Emil who had arrived at La Serena the previous day. They both hopped into the car and we continued our journey to the Elqui Valley which was about one hour east of La Serena. The Elqui valley is a real tourist haven, with an abundance of vineyards and orchards set against the arid mountains of the dessert its charming scenery is entirely unique. This part of Chile is called “Norte Chico” and is characterized by being partly desert and partly not. Many believe that the Elqui Valley is a centre of mystical energy; it is also one of the main astronomical centers of the world.
Although Chile is described as a Catholic country I have not noticed Chileans as being particularly devout, however the evening that we arrived at the Elqui Valley it became apparent that Catholicism still has a strong following. As we started exploring the town we passed the Plaza where we watched a dramatization of the Easter story, as we continued walking we noticed that many of the streets were lined with small candles and offerings, creating a very serene and thought-provoking atmosphere. It was evident that for many of the valley’s inhabitants this religious occasion was an extremely important event.
The next morning, we explored the little town by daylight and I was amazed by the valley’s natural beauty. What was particularly fascinating was how a place which has many characteristics of the desert could also posses such a wonderful variety of flower and fauna. The intense colour and beauty of the flowers were particularly striking; it felt wonderful to be surrounded by greenery.
The Elqui Valley is the heartland of Pisco (Chile’s national drink, a strong clear spirit made from grapes) so naturally our first stop was “La Planta del Pisco Mistral,” (The Mistral Pisco factory). The tour of the factory was extremely interesting; our guide explained in detail each part of the making process, the history of Pisco and finally we were able to try different varietys of Pisco. There is come controversy whether Pisco was in fact created in Chile, some argue that it belongs to Peru, but as you can imagine, Chileans are very quick to dismiss that argument.( Emil was horrified by the idea!)Chileans love to drink Pisco and a popular Chilean cocktail is “Pisco Sour” which is Pisco accompanied with lemon and sugar. “Piscola,” Pisco and Coca Cola is another national favorite. The highlight of the tour was enjoying a Pisco sour at the end with Ushmi and Emil, admiring the view of the beautiful valley set against the backdrop of arid desert.
Another reason for the Valley’s popularity is that it was the home to Gabriela Mistral, a Chilean poet who was the first South American to win a Nobel Prize for literature in 1945. She was also a teacher, a diplomat and a feminist who devoted herself to improving the education system in Chile and abroad. After our Pisco tour, we took short bus ride to a small town called Montegrande, where there is a museum dedicated to Gabriela Mistral which was a real pleasure to explore. Our guide informed us that despite moving abroad Mistral always thought of Monte Grande as her home and her fondest memories where of her childhood there.
That evening we took a bus back to La Serena which we explored the following day. After the serene nature of the Valley it seemed strange at first to be back in an urban environment, however the city has many attractive old colonial buildings. First we celebrated Easter mass at a beautiful colonial stone church and then browsed the “Recova” market close by which was filled with native handicrafts. We then took a bus to Coquimbo, a fishing town just twenty minutes south- west of La Serena which is legendary for its delicious, and inexpensive seafood. Emil and I are both real seafood enthusiasts, Ushmi on the other hand is a vegetarian, a concept Chileans could not seem to grasp, barbecue is after all is their favourite dish! We stopped for a bite to eat at the Coquimbo fishing terminal a thriving fish market filled to the brim with both locals and tourists.
After lunch we strolled around the town, admiring many of the old colonial buildings which overlook the ocean. With colorful murals and beautiful wooden architecture, this small fishing town was definitely worth a visit. After Coquimbo we took the bus back to Serena and from there we returned to Antofagasta, this time travelling by bus.
My trip to La Serena was particularly special, firstly because I was able to explore another part of this incredibly varied country with Ushmi and Emil and secondly because I was able to appreciate La Serena’s and its surrounding areas uniqueness. I had never imagined a place where you could find such a wonderful contrast between nature; the vineyards of the valley, its trees and its colourful flowers with the hills of the desert. Once again, this wonderful country called Chile has surprised me.
Gabriela Mistral Museum.
Coquimbo
Coquimbo, homage to Pablo Neruda and Gabriel Mistral, both chilean poets won a nobel prize for literature.
