four hours to kill just walking around. La Serena has a quaint, vacation getaway atmosphere. The still morning air was interrupted only by the occasional seagull squawking overhead. There were few people on the cobblestone streets that ran around the Plaza de Armas. 
Vicuna lies nested in the midst of a clump of desert mountains. The air is dry and dusty, but at least there were modern amenities like electricity and a reliable water supply to keep the standard of living at a reasonable level. Vicuna is also famed for being the birthplace of Nobel laureate for Literature, Gabriela Mistral. She was a poet who dealt with a great variety of themes, but most strikingly, those of life and death.
We didn't stop too long in town, because we were late for a scheduled tour of the Tololo Obervatory. This time, we had a guide drive us there in his van. This ride took us through narrow, winding mountain roads, often providing spectacular mountain sceneries.
Reminds me of secondary school geography. See the sparse vegetation? Many of those dots you see on the mountain are cacti. There are horses living in the wilderness and we speculated that the cacti could be their primary food source.
The van took us to the top of one of the highest mountains in the area. There, built upon the roof of the world were several dome-shaped structures, our looking glass into the heavens.
Left: This was the second largest dome. We were given a tour of it, wherein the guide described to us how people had to work there in complete darkness each night so as not to interfere with telescope readings. They even had to drive up the mountain without headlamps on. Incredible.
One of the smaller observatories. See how clear the sky is. Imagine what it's like at night.
Left: We were shown how the dome opens up to the sky. There's some really heavy engineering involved, since the entire dome rotates so as to give the telescope access to different parts of the sky.
Left: A closer view of the telescope. This one collects infra-red signals and analyzes them into a spectrograph.
Right: This is the largest telescope at Tololo. The structure in the photograph weighs about 350 tonnes and the mirror took three years to manufacture and polish.
After the tour was over, we went outside to take in the breathtaking scenery. Here are some photographs:
That evening, we dined at a small eatery in Vicuna before checking out the almost non-existant nightlife in the village. After leaving several empty nightspots, we came to this tiny bar place where people were singing and playing some strange instruments. As the drunk waitress led us to our table amidst the raucous merrymaking, a small middle-aged man tugged at my sleeve and put his palms together to make some sort of Buddhist/Thai greeting. People here sure have some outdated stereotypes of Asians.
The waitress continued to laugh and joke as she took our orders. She seemed bemused by the fact that I chose to drink a fanta orange alone instead of mixing it with beer (eugh!). Then she kept patting my back and rubbing my head like I was a little boy, much to my disdain. Fortunately, we left before long and retired to our hostel after another no-go at an empty bar. The thought of that episode still makes me cringe.
Next day, we were due to visit Pisco Elqui, a village deep in the Elqui Valley. The Valley is famed for the production of pisco, a traditional liquor whose origins are being contested by both Chile and Peru even to this day. In fact, the village was renamed Pisco Elqui some years back as a bold claim on the rights to the name. We took a bus from Vicuna which took us through the valley. As before, the ride was a scenic one, and I took the opportunity to snap some shots:
The bus finally stopped at what appeared to be the central village square. A fountain lay in the middle of a crossroads, directly in front of a Catholic church. People, mostly tourists, were milling around, looking for places, asking for directions, while soothing, Spanish-like music played from some hidden speaker.
Left: A church service was being held when we were there. Inside was typical of any Catholic church - religious images and icons were everywhere. Also, notice how the tower of the church is built with wood. This is rather common in Chile.
Left: An intricately-carved sculpture serves as the fountainhead. It shows children and grapes. I'm not sure about the children, but the grapes are probably a reference to the village's pisco production.
Left and Below: Although Pisco Elqui is a rural village, the houses are generally well-kept and the streets clean.
This place serves up great juices. I had a strawberry daiquiri though. The sandwiches were also lovely. Came with two dippings - a very smooth guacamole and what tasted like salmon and mayo.
We had a quick lunch before exploring the village. Handicraft stalls and occult meditation centers dotted the village. Alien enthusiasts flock to this area every year because of the clear night skies. Scientists working at observatories are not amused.
We came across a mountain path that provided a vantage point from which we could see most of the village.
Vineyard
I noted that a surprising variety of flora grew here in the desert. There were oranges, roses, strange cotton-like plants, a variety of fruit trees that I don't recognize, cacti, among others.
Our next stop was the Mistral pisco distillery, apparently named after the poet. We took a tour which, unfortunately, was conducted in Spanish. It was interesting to see the production process, though. Apart from fermentation, the grape juice is also put through a brief boiling process.
Left: Grapes used to be harvested in motor-driven wagons like these.
Right: After the fermentation and boiling process, pisco is left to age in smoked wooden barrels like these.
The tour didn't take long to finish, and after that, we were given a sample of several grades of pisco. The drink has a full body, with a character that is complex, but also overwhelmingly fruity. The different grades differ not so much in levels of complexity as in crispness and dryness. We were then each given a drink of 'pisco sour', are popular mix that incorporates pisco, lime juice, raw egg white, and a dash of angostura bitters.
Thereafter, we left. And just in time too. The bus bound for La Serena had just arrived. The three-hour ride brought us there just in time to check-in to our hostels and go for dinner. We dined at La Casona del Guaton, a place specializing in parrilladas, or grill of mixed meats. Serving portions were delightfully large, and there were such interesting items as blood sausages, cow udders and pig's intestines along with the usual pork chops and beef steaks. After having filled ourselves, we headed back to our hostels.
Mmmmm.....meeeat...*chomp**gnash**gnash*
We had an amusing chance encounter on the way back. As we walked down the street, a pack of dogs came running by us, barking loudly. The quarry? A small female. Every now and then, some male in the pack would catch up and attempt to mount her, only to be repelled as she snapped back. Some distance away, another pair engaged in more consensual activity. The chase carried on even after we stepped through the door. And we wonder why Chile is teeming with dogs.
Mmmmmm....biiiiitch..... (ok, let's not go there)
I woke up early next morning for a solitary stroll down to the beach. As I ambled down the long avenue leading to the beach, a tall structure came into view. It seemed to be of some historical significance (lighthouse, maybe?), but I couldn't care less.
Behind the structure, a wide expanse of sand stretched into the embrace of the Pacific Ocean's crashing waves. There was almost nobody around, save for a couple of anglers and some guy on horseback. I took off my shoes to walk on the cool sand, inspecting the millions of shells that littered the beach for anything unusual. A few times, I went down to the water's edge. It was interesting, having my feet immersed in cold and yet feeling strangely comfortable.
Left: Los tres amigos
This fellow here was in pieces when I found it, so I reassembled him to see what this frequent visitor to La Serena's beaches looked like.
After getting back from the beach, Weiyi and I promptly checked out of the hostel and went to La Serena's famous mercado, La Recova. The first storey had mostly souvenir and handicraft shops. There was quite a good variety of items, and I got a few gifts for friends and family, before we proceeded to La Recova's main attraction - the second-storey seafood restaurants. These restaurants are famed for their fresh seafood, and we decided on one that gave us a nice view of the market square. It turned out to be one of the best al fresco dining experiences I had in a long time. Nice weather, great view, lively Spanish music from the market square, an enthusiastic waitress, really delicious seafood.
Our view of the market square. A spray-paint artist has set up shop in the middle of the square, peddling his works and creating new ones on the spot and on request. The paintings were admittedly quite good, for spray-paintings.
Seafood crepe in creamy cheese
Whitefish steak in seafood sauce
After that fulfilling meal, we took a leisurely stroll around the town center and shopping mall before boarding the Santiago-bound bus, ending a most enjoyable weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment