8th January Quimembo – La Serena 322 miles

We eventually found a basic campsite with a frosty welcome which turned out really quite well. First of all we were told we had to leave by 9am but we had a reprieve until 10, we at first thought they were being frosty and awkward but when morning came a coach load arrived and it appeared they were being as accommodating as possible.

Martin had a cold shower and put on damp clothes, his mum will be looking down on him shaking her head. I passed on the cold shower and kept my dry clothes on, I don’t know who smelt better? Apparently there is hot water between 9 and 10.30, not a fat lot of use when you need to be off site early.
We now need to get moving north if we are to see the Dakar so we head off but rather than taking the coast road, which is the main road we use the mountain roiad which is a bit longer and a lot slower. Wow, what a fantastic road, Martin said ‘ that has got to be the best road I have travelled on’. It wound round the mountains and through tiny villages, in one village we saw signs for an observatory a few kilometres away, so we take off up the mountain and eventually arrive at the Combarbala Observatory. It has 4 domed telescopes in a square and a domed area in the centre similar to a mini planetarium. The telescopes are 16 inches in diameter and can rotate 360 degrees and pan 180 degrees. Therr are some fantastic photos af several planets in the reception area.
Onward and upward we continue on thiese mountain roads and run through some areas where a brown mountain has some well irrigated and maintained vines inregimented rows.
We eventually reach Monte Patria and stop at a fruiteria where they have about 4 mountains of water melons and a host of fruit and veg. We have certainly not been getting our 5 a day, when you buy a steak it comes with pappas fritas and that is it. We bought melon, kiwis, peaches, bananas, avocado, onion, olives etc. They had some seats and people were buying a drink so we asked for the same and got peach juice with corn and an overripe peach in it, sounds disgusting but it was fantastic. What an amasing place, people were stopping all the time and buying 2 and 3 watermelons, 4 guys stopped and bought one and cut it up into 4 there and then and munched on.
It is now 5.30 and it is another 80 miles to La Serena so we decide to find somewhere to stay soon as by the time we get there it will be dusking and the evening will be gone. There is a campsite 8 k away, fab. We head in that direction and find nothing and then are told the local hotel has camping. The hotel is Hasienda Junta, it is fantasticand they have a swimming pool and a hottub, but once again something is lost in translation and they do not have camping. As much as we would have loved to stay we have to watch our budget and camping is more cost effective option. The guys at the hotel were very understanding adnwe made our farewells. If I came back with Jo we would definitely stay here.
So no camping until Ovalle, no problem that is only 30 k, we ask on arrival and a few kilometres out of town, well we found three and they were all closed and desolate. We finally arrive in La Serena and there are no campsites, so a reasonable hotel or hostel? Few, you must be joking, they were all much dearer than the Hasienda that we could have been relaxing in some 3 or 4 hours ago. Finally Martin spots a place and it is perfect, no sea view just basic accommodation, which is exactly what we wanted.