Goodbye Rapa Nui, Hello La Serena

First of all, be sure to view the photos recently added to the last few blog entries.

Yesterday was our final day on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). We had one last walk along the sea front and said goodbye to the first Moai we saw when we arrived. Our host at Te Ora, Sharon, performed a lovely gesture by giving each of us who was leaving a necklace with a shell attached; this is to bring you home safely. If we ever return to Rapa Nui, we are to return the shell to the beach. Attached to the shell is a feather; this is to ensure a safe flight. It was really special for Sharon to include us in a Rapa Nui tradition. Quite emotional, actually.

After returning to Santiago, we checked back in to Hostal Rio Amazonas and went out for a meal at patio Bella Vista; this is a nice big courtyard surrounded by various restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops... may have mentioned it before... lovely.

We write this blog from La Serena. The bus journey here took about 6 hours (2 hours shorter than we thought) and actually went fairly quickly. The bus was very comfortable and the conductor professional and attentive. The countryside views were beautiful and varying. Some desert-like terrain with cactus plants, many hills, mountains, beaches, and ocean views... nice ride all in all. La Serena runs at a much slower pace than Santiago. It has lovely colonial architecture and an attractive center plaza. Our Hostal is called El Punto and is an adobe like building arround a couple of courtyards and patios. It is very attractive. We spent the evening wandering around the center of town with its shops and cafes; yes we did sit down and have a nice coffee.

Tomorrow we are booked to go on a tour to the Humboldt Penguin Reserve; this is dependent on weather, so we shall see. This is the first day we have not had wine in Chile. That is a part of the culture we have no problem adapting to. We are going to try to fit in a short trip to wine country at some point because, as stated, this part of Chilean culture suits us quite well.