December 5, 2022, Monday: Coquimbo, Chile
The Oosterdam cruised 2 days before arriving in the port of Coquimbo, our first stop in Chile. It was an overcast day, or at least that is what it appeared. What we didn’t know is that this is the typical weather on the coast of Chile caused by the warm land temperature and the cold Humboldt current cooling the air. The port was much smaller than Callao, Lima’s largest, port, but busy loading and unloading container ships and transport vehicles.
We joined a tour that will take us to the 3 major areas of interest in this region: the coastal resort town of La Herradura with its neighbor, La Serena; Vicuña, in the the agricultural Elqui Valley and birthplace of the poet, Gabriela Mistral; and Capel Vineyards, the largest producer of Pisco in the country. Our guide is the ever energetic, Jorge, who has a master’s degree in astronomy and is a former teacher. He describes this area as “the land of sun, stars and Pisco!”
Our first stop was a photo opportunity of the lovely (but overcast) Guayacan Bay in La Herradura, filled with small boats and surrounded by lovely homes. This busy fishing bay had an interesting series of sculptures between the road and the beach area. Back on the bus, we headed to La Serena, the 2nd oldest city in Chile and known for it’s beaches and restaurants as well as being a haven for artists as we observed gorgeous murals on building walls throughout the city.
We drove past the lighthouse, the symbol of La Serena and did not stop but continued onward to the quaint village of Vicuña, nestled in the Elqui Valley.
Our hour and a half drive took us up curving roads, past the Andean village of El Molle where a large dam formed the Puclaro Reservoir allowing for better regulation of water flow for irrigation and population use. We passed copper mines, young avocado trees protected by wind screens, papaya and citrus groves, to the foot of the pre-Andes Mountains.
Jorge pointed out an observatory at the very top of one of the mountains, noting that this region has wonderfully clear skies with low humidity making stargazing pristine. He mentioned there are 3 observatories in this area: Gemini South, Cerro Tolo and the Observatory del Pangue that is open to the public. Unfortunately, no observatory tour was offered on this excursion but it was exciting to realize we were driving in the valley where new celestial discoveries are being made on a regular basis.
The sun came out as we drove from the coast providing exceptional views of the Elqui River Valley. This valley is very narrow, only 6 miles wide, and near the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. We only noted reddish brown soil and a few scrubby shrubs on the hills but the valley was lush with vegetation. As we entered Vicūna Village, it was clear that Vicuña grew and prospered from the building of the observatories as well as the produce grown in this fertile valley.
We stopped at the Plaza Gabriela Mistral for a few minutes to learn more about the Nobel Prize winning poet. The Plaza is beautiful with plenty of shade-covered benches, sculptures from the ancient remains of the pepper tree and more murals.
Mary Margaret managed to snap a photo of a statue of Gabriela Mistral sitting on a bench, book ended by two live Santa’s elves. School is approaching year’s end and groups of students were walking around the park.
We left Vicūna and took a short ride to the Capel Vineyard where we took yet another tour of the production of the famous distilled wine, Pisco. They do not produce wine here, only Pisco.
Fortunately for us, after walking through the grounds and production area, we received small samples of Pisco sours in either mango or lemon juice. No shots burning our throats here!
Back on the bus and to the Restaurant Halley where we had too much food! The first course was empanadas that our only Chilean-American passenger in our group exclaimed was the best she’s ever had (or made). She tracked down the chef and talked him into giving her the recipe and then gave it to Mary Margaret. The second course was a tender cut of beef and rice, sampled but not entirely consumed.
We rolled back onto the bus and on to La Serena where we had a short shopping experience before being delivered back to the Port of Coquimbo. The beach town was overcast as when we had left it hours ago and much cooler. We passed a surprising sight: a large mosque in this very Catholic country. Obviously a tolerant population.
It is amazing that within a few miles and several feet of elevation, there is definitely clearer skies and warmer temperatures. Truly a wonderful introduction to Chile.
This is the end of the first leg of our cruise, aptly named “17-Day Panama Canal and Inca Discovery Voyage”. There will be more touring for us when we reach our next port but a demanding working day for the Oosterdam crew as nearly half the passengers will leave the ship. While this happens and we are on our tour, new passengers will board the Oosterdam to continue along Chile’s coast, around Cape Horn ending in Buenos Aires. We’re excited to begin our second leg of this voyage, learning more about South America.