Pisco Elqui

Today Sara and I decided to take a half-day trip to Elqui Valley, which, of course, turned into a day-long adventure. We should have known. We bought tickets to leave at 11:30 am and got back at 7:00pm.

The Elqui Valley and the surrounding towns are famous first and foremost for the vineyards and the grapes used to make the Chilean liquor pisco. Up in the mountains there is a very picturesque valley with miles and miles of vineyards. We ate lunch today at a pisco distillery so Sara could sample the pisco, while I enjoyed my fruit juice blend. We walked the plazas in some of the towns along the way, took pictures of churches (so many churches!) and visited artesan booths and shops.

We also visited the Gabriela Mistral museum in Monte Grande--she is a very famous Chilean author who was the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (check out some of her poetry when you get a second). She is also famous for being a school teacher and an advocate for education. She had an incredibly tragic life and had very few people that she loved, but her poetry reveals a side that many didn't see in person.

We got back to La Serena just in time for "onces". We decided against going to the cafe in the mall just down the street because we've been there twice and there are a couple of waiters who think we go there just for them. So we went downtown to have a sandwhich and some hot chocolate.

Tomorrow we travel back to Santiago. My host family was planning to come up north next week, but I think those plans have fallen through. So I'm not sure yet what I will be doing for the second week of vacation. Sara will be going even further north to San Pedro de Atacama. I think we'll spend tomorrow and Sunday in Santiago, though, and see another one of Pablo Neruda's houses. Besides, Santiago and I need to make peace since she stole my camera.