Winter Break Travels-Pt. 1- La Serena

The reason this series is labeled "Winter Break Travels' is because here in Chile it is winter time, and I traveled in the time between semester 1 and 2. That too is backwards. Their summer vacation occurs between the first week of December and March. Thus I have just started semester 2 in school, whereas everyone in the US is about to start semester 1. Anyways, end of explanation

Part 1-La Serena


We stayed at a great hostel about a 10 minute walk from the bus terminal. Hostel Balmaceda is only about 8 US dollars a night during midweek for 5 people to have their own apartment at this hostel . This includes a working kitchen, private bathroom, living room and nice/clean sleeping quarters. This place is run by a super nice family that loves gringos. We had a amazing time here especially because we could walk to a nearby market and cook dinner each night. Cannot wait to go back.

Just down the street from the hostel lies the main drag in La Serena. This road connects the Plaza de Armas (town square) with El Faro (pictured below). La Serena was a Spanish port and military outpost, and El Faro stands as the Spanish's most obvious military presence in this town.


Just beyond this is the beach. Nearby city of Coquimbo in the background.

Great colonial architecture all around La Serena.

Daniella II. This restaurant had an amazing lunch deal. bean + pasta = porotos, plus beef and rice, plus pan (bread) for $4 us dollars. Lunch deals are the way to eat well in Chile.

All in all a great trip. La Serena is low key and only good in the non-beach season for 2 or 3 nights. Sight seeing is abundant if you enjoy looking at lots of old churches, but I recommend it regardless.
Next time I go up this way (7 hours north of Santiago in bus) I will be sure to go east in the Elqui Valley where the Chilean pisco industry resides. On the tops of the surrounding mountains also lie some of the best observatories in the world, often open to the public. Next time...