LA SERENA 01.02.2023

Today we went to the city. Our plan was to walk to the waterfront (Avd. De Mare) and take a bus from there to the city center. We had seen public transportation in the previous days, but there was nothing going our way! And the taxis that passed by were all occupied!? So we continued on foot to the lighthouse, where two locals told us that there was no connection! Great! The heat was already there! Eventually, a taxi stopped even though it already had a passenger and took us to a location near the central square (Plaza Des Armes). When we arrived there, we strolled through a flea market where I almost bought an old fancy walking stick, and when we tried to visit the Santo Domingo Church, we stumbled upon a funeral, only to realize it was market day! Many stands surrounded the entire square. From fruits and vegetables to tourist offers, everything was being advertised. My intentions were to visit the tourist office 'Sernatur' and the post office (Correos de Chile). We found them quickly and upon entering, an employee asked us what we wanted. Then she took us to a number machine, pulled a ticket, and told us to sit on the waiting benches. A display showed when it would be our turn and which counter would attend to our request. Karin was already familiar with this process from Argentina, but I was amazed because there were only two customers in the room! They were blocking everything with their phones at the counter, and after what felt like an eternity, we were finally able to purchase our eight stamps. We found the tourist office, not according to the Lonely Planet, only after asking a policewoman. And with the help of a woman who guided us through a courtyard and a basement passage. But it was still within opening hours?!

Overall, this delayed sequence brought us back to the square at the right time: Suddenly, very loud music played, and an extremely distorted sound system with a screaming host accompanied the performances of various dance groups. We suspected that traditional associations were performing the dances of different indigenous ethnic groups to draw attention to a larger festival that was announced on posters in La Serena. It was a lively event!!! Magnificent colorful dresses, dance couples in traditional costumes, half-naked men and women performing an attacking dance, and a group with very confusing face masks paraded down the main street in front of the town hall. Always accompanied by applauding spectators and overwhelmingly loud music, commented by a screaming host. Although we didn't understand his explanations, the feeling was just great! After visiting the cathedral, which was right next to the square, we continued to the bustling city center. There was so much to see and hear (many street singers playing everything from Elvis to Tango as background music from a loudspeaker). Quite hectic and crowded! But we were on the right track to the Museo Arqueológico, which our guide had highly recommended to us yesterday. And suddenly, Karin had the opportunity for a pedicure! She had been looking for one for so long, and the woman in the very small shop was eager to fulfill all her wishes. So Karin soon found herself sitting in front of a small desk, with the woman behind it, preparing all the tools. I politely declined the offer to wait in the shop as it would have caused several inconveniences. The shop was too small! Besides, the treatment was supposed to take 45 minutes, which was not suitable for me, so I marched alone to the museum, which was just around the corner.

Fortunately, the admission was free, as Karin had the money and credit card. During our tours, we only take one of each with us to minimize the risk of loss. Most of the exhibition pieces were artifacts from the pre-Columbian era, which didn't excite me that much. But I had to admire the 2.5-meter high 'moai' (a stone statue from Easter Island) and an ancient boat made of seal skin from the Diaguita people. However, the mummy from the Atacama Desert did not fascinate me as much, as I have already stood in front of Ötzi before!

When I returned to the salon, it was full because the woman's husband and son were now also in the shop. We exchanged pleasantries, and when he left with his very new KIA, with his son and a friend, I thought to myself, "That works too!" While I continued to wait, I observed the work of the car park attendants. We had previously assumed that people living in very poor conditions earned extra money by looking after the parked cars in their street, occasionally cleaning the mirrors and receiving money from the vehicle owners when they left. Now, however, I saw a young woman, identified by a vest with reflective stripes, sticking small receipt slips, printed from a kind of card reader, under the windshields of parking cars, and then moving on to the next car to collect money after checking the slip. So it was a real job with a background!

After Karin finished and we were able to communicate the payment using Google Translate (16,000 pesos), we walked to Mercado La Recova. However, it turned out that there were only souvenirs for tourists and locals there. Our idea of a bustling market scene with enthusiastic sellers turned out to be wrong again!? But there were loads of stands offering loads of the same sales kitsch! It's crazy, how do the sellers make a living? There can't possibly be enough customers to make a decent income from this! And the stall rents must be extra high at these 'hotspots', right? We didn't want to increase sales anyway! Instead, we spent money at the supermarket because we needed provisions for tomorrow, as we had a long bus tour ahead. After another long taxi search, we were lucky, as a woman got out of a taxi in front of us and we got in. When the driver overtook a bus on the way to the hotel, we didn't mind! We immediately arranged with him to pick us up at 12 o'clock tomorrow because our bus was scheduled to depart from the bus terminal in Santiago at 1 o'clock.

After unpacking, we headed out for dinner. I had found a recommendation from a woman on the internet who mentioned the Barkulic restaurant. Here, supposedly, there was good fish right on the beach with a view of the sea, and our choice had also been positively confirmed by the agency. Now, getting a means of transportation again, as we didn't want to walk the 3.3 km, became a problem once more. The few taxis that drove by were full, and there was no collection point anywhere. We also approached parking attendants in our attempts and somehow got lucky! A young taxi driver picked us up, started the meter, and drove us to the restaurant further down the waterfront. The price was okay, but the restaurant was full! Without a reservation, we had no chance. It was an absolute shame because we had mentioned the possibility at the agency, but we were reassured that it wouldn't be so busy in the middle of the week! Ha, ha!? So we headed back towards the hotel, and just a hundred meters away, we came across the next option. Tololo Beach. It also had a covered terrace by the beach, allowed smoking, and had a Swiss-speaking very friendly waiter. It was a stroke of luck that misfortune had brought us here! Karin's Pisco-Mango-Sour and my cold beer kicked off the late afternoon. The food also enhanced the mood because after Karin's second Pisco, our new Swiss friend said she would soon speak perfect Spanish. We won't talk about the bill here, it was worth it to us, especially since the Swiss-Chilean even arranged an Uber for us and waited with us on the street for the car.

Back at the hotel, we started with our departure preparations. The suitcase became heavier and the backpacks became fuller! How does that even happen?