Chile Travel Notes [La Serena Coquimbo]

In summer, many shops in the capital Santiago are closed on weekends, and there are few pedestrians on the streets. Where did they all go? It is said that many of them went to the seaside for vacation. As the narrowest and longest country in the world, Chile has a coastline of about 6,500 kilometers, but its average "waistline" is only about 200 kilometers, so no matter where you live in Chile, you are not far from the sea.

Our destination this time is La Serena, a city in northern Chile. We departed from Santiago early in the morning and headed north along the National Highway 5 (Ruta Nacional 5). This highway is also part of the Carretera Panamericana, which runs through the entire American continent. Before it took two days to get from Santiago to La Serena, now it only takes about five hours. At a rest stop on the way, I saw a few experienced motorcyclists, all of whom were grandfathers and grandmothers.

The weirdest scene happened not far from Santiago. Because of the speed of the car, I was unable to take pictures of this strange scene: people wearing white clothes and hats came one after another on the roadside, all carrying a large basket covered with white cloth, and waving a long white stick in their hands. Something like a whisk. At first glance, the road is completely white, and it looks a bit like Chinese people doing nothing.

They are selling some "desserts from La Ligua" (Dulces de La Ligua), there are many types , most of them are biscuits or puff pastry with white frosting or caramel sauce. kind. In 2019, this traditional dessert was also recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Chile.

Later, when we returned, we found that they had moved to the side of the traffic returning to the city to solicit business. However, these mobile vendors along the road pose safety risks and have also caused traffic accidents.

Going north along Highway 5, there is the sea on one side and the desert on the other, and the cacti on the roadside are spreading their claws.

Chile has little rainfall, and the northern coast is affected by the Peruvian cold current and human activities. Desertification is becoming increasingly serious and is slowly advancing southward.

We arrived at La Serena at noon. The gray sky gradually became clear along the way, and people were busy with the upcoming excitement.

Looking around is a public beach covered with shells, very clean.

La Serena is famous for its long golden sand beach, with golden particles in the soft sand sparkling in the sun. In addition to Chileans, it also attracts many foreign tourists, such as Argentines, Uruguayans, and Brazilians.

Chile Travel Notes [La Serena Coquimbo]

Saw two egrets on the beach.

The hotel we booked is right on the beach. Opposite is a bar and restaurant decorated like a big ship. It looks like it will be very lively at night.

We found a place with a relatively concentrated restaurant to have lunch, and this Peruvian restaurant looked quite eye-catching.

But we still chose a seafood restaurant next door. Baked Scallops with Parmesan Cheese (Ostión Parmesano en Conchas), Ostión does not refer to oysters or oysters in Chile, but this kind of scallop.

Fried Calamari Rings (Anillos de Calamar Apañados).

This dish is Camarones al pil pil, so we call it "Pippi Shrimp". Its method is derived from the famous cod dish Bacalao al pil pil in the Basque region of Spain. First, use olive oil to saute garlic, pepper and other seasonings until fragrant, and then add the cod. The so-called "pil pil" describes the time when the cod is put into the pot. the sound made. Replacing the fish with shrimp and adding this recipe, it is a dish that best suits our taste.

If I can only order one dish when dining in Chile, the humble, simple and crude seafood soup (Sopa de Mariscos) must be my best choice.

The staple food is Italian-style seafood risotto (Risotto).

In the evening, we walked along the seaside and came to a lighthouse (Faro Monumental de La Serena). This is a landmark building in La Serena, but it does not seem to be well maintained.

Then walk towards the city center. La Serena is the second oldest city in Chile, after Santiago. There are many ancient buildings in the city, and the central square is not surprisingly called Plaza de Armas.

A band was rehearsing on a small temporary stage set up on the side of the road. There are three flags representing the indigenous peoples of South America hanging in the middle, Mapuche on the right and Aymara on the left. The one in the middle has never been seen before, but the painted pots and patterns have a typical Di Diaguita characteristics, and the Diaguita people of Chile live in the Coquimbo region, so it is probably the flag of Diaguita. These are also the three largest ethnic groups among the indigenous peoples of Chile.

Many people gathered near the Plaza de Armas, presumably for some kind of event.

There are street performers performing in the square, and the game console stalls and food stalls nearby are also visited by people.

After shopping, we were ready to go back to the hotel to rest. Unexpectedly, at this moment, there was an earthquake. This is also the strongest earthquake we have ever experienced, so we recorded it in detail in another article: Chile Travel Notes [Experiencing an Earthquake While Traveling]

The earthquake caused us almost no sleep all night, so we decided to cancel our trip to sea the next day and went back to San Diego after wandering around the city. While having breakfast in a restaurant, I saw a scavenger feeding stray dogs on the roadside.

Later, we discovered that due to the earthquake, all attractions in downtown La Serena were closed. We unknowingly transferred to another city, Coquimbo. The earthquake the night before occurred not far from Coquimbo. of the seabed. Coquimbo City and La Serena City are next to each other and both belong to the Coquimbo Region. La Serena City is the capital of the Coquimbo Region, and Coquimbo City is an important port in the Coquimbo Region.

Latin America's first Nobel Prize winner for literature, Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, was born in Coquimbo.

We found a restaurant on the beach with a view for lunch.

We saw a huge cross standing on a hilltop on the Coquimbo Peninsula, so we decided to go there and have a look before returning.

This cross (Cruz Del Tercer Milenio) is 83 meters high. It was built to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. It is also the tallest cross in South America. The triangular structure inserted into the rock at the bottom symbolizes the "Trinity" in the doctrine.

The horizontal part of the cross can be taken up by elevator, and you can overlook the two cities from above. However, due to the earthquake on the first day, all places that can be climbed were closed, and only the museum and chapel at the bottom were open to tourists. Photography is not allowed inside the museum, which displays gifts from Pope John Paul II and a photography exhibit documenting the construction of the cross.

Many places in the church are decorated with grapes and wheat ears, and the valley near here is an emerging grape-growing area.

After visiting the church, I bought two pancakes from a roadside man’s stall. Chileans call these Churrascas con Mantequilla, which are baked dough pancakes with butter.

Well, La Serena, Coquimbo, an earthquake left us with only regrets.

Fried Calamari Rings (Anillos de Calamar Apañados).

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