Coquimbo,
or Quiet Waters.
We were a little delayed in landing
due to the late departure of a couple of container ships but that
didn't shorten our day by much. This is a walk-off friendly port
which is great for the crew and for passengers who just want to
wander the town a bit. We went over to the next bay and took a
look-see at that and caught a bit of the history of the area from our
guide.
Then we headed up the beach drive past
condos, apartments, bistro hotels, cabanas to rent and restaurants.
One stop along the way provided a quick look at the beach then off
again on the road. After a scenic 70kn drive up the mountains in the
Elqui Valley we came to the Capel
distillery and there experienced a tour of the plant followed by
a taste of their Pisco liquor.
Then it was a short hop into Vicuña
village with it's narrow streets and busy Arma de Plaza, or central
square. Lunch had been arranged for us in a local restaurant and
afterward we wandered the square looking at the many street vendors
wares along the way.
We
reversed course and drove the 70km back to La Serena for a whirlwind
tour of the Museum of Archeology for a look at shrunken heads from
Ecuador, pottery from Chile and an original Moai from Rapa Nui
(Easter Island.)
Then
a dash down the street to La Recova market. We weren't doing much to
help the economy today but did buy fresh cut flowers for our cabin.
Arriving
back at the pier ½ hour before “all aboard” we caught the last
two bars of music from a brass band on the pier. A little after 1700
we were tugged off the pier and tugged and tugged. It was a tight
spot at the pier and we were bow in and had to be pulled sideways
then pivoted bow out. By 1800 were were securely under way with blue
sky and blue seas.
The
noon position was 29°
56.92'S / 071°
20.08'W. Noon to noon run was about 267 nm. Voyage to date is 4,382
nm.
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