week ELEVEN


 We've officially made it past the halfway point of my travels! What?!! What better way to celebrate than an adventure!


My newest favorite place to travel is La Serena. It is full of beautiful views, endless papayas, and new friends. Alaina, Tom, Eleanor and I set off midday Friday with a 5-hour bus ride ahead of us, most of which we slept through.


We arrived to our hostel, grabbed a quick dinner, met some new friends (Hi Maria and Willow!), and headed out for some drinks and cards. 


The next day, the 6 of us explored the city. We walked through a market, had a picnic at the local park while watching a dog show, and enjoyed the beautiful Japanese gardens. The garden was full of black swans, ducks, coy fish, and turtles! We finished the day with some delicious homemade curry (thanks to our chefs Eleanor and Tom)!



    


Early the next morning, we set sail for the islands. The six of us bussed 1.5 hours north, jumped on a boat, and rode to Isla Damas (Ladies Island).



We jumped ashore and explored the BEAUTIFUL island for an hour. We had the most perfect weather, and with all the flowers in bloom, it smelled AMAZING. It was just phenomenal.

      


Once we got back on the boat, it was time to find some native fauna. We saw many birds- seagulls, lots of vultures, and cormorants. In the water, there were a few dolphins and  several lobos de mar (sea lions), and lots of their babies too! 


The most exciting part of our sea journey, though, was the penguins. I've never seen one in the wild, and I was so excited for this. Humboldt Penguins are native here, and a protected species. We were able to see a few- even one "pareja" (they mate for life!)!



To top off our wildly adventuous day, the captain of the boat brought Alaina and I up to the front of the boat to look over the water. We sang Moana (obviously) with the best view in the house. It as epic.



I had such an amazing time on this trip. It was a blast to meet new friends and explore more of Chile's beauty. I absolutely cannot believe that I'm more than halfway done- time is flying by! What a gift it is to be able to be here and experience this incredible country!


Chao now, from me and Pepa!






























Comments

  1. Kathy RomeoOctober 12, 2026 at 7:09 PM

    Awww love hearing about all of your adventures! Miss you❤️

    ReplyDelete

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