Inspiration for a poet

On our way then, to Valparaiso, which was also raining but a gorgeously kooky little seaside town. It’s dirty and old and trying to avoid the dog poo in the streets was like trying to avoid the puddles in Pucon. But it’s full of colour and street art, and music and books and really, really, really good hot chocolate. Everything is built on hills so you take little funiculars up and down them all the time and you have great views of the port with its big naval ships and little fishing boats all rocking and rolling in the choppy sea.

This town has the spirit of poets. For those of you who have read Pablo Neruda´s poems, well he´s from here (thank you Sarah for introducing us). Somehow the city seems to get under your skin and before you know it you’ve chosen your favourite coffee shop, where you’d go book shopping and where your house might be one day if you ever found your way back there.

Sarah came over to Chile I think pretty much because of Neruda and there was one particular house of his that she wanted to see. So off we set one day in search of his inspiration. Our efforts were rewarded with the news that we had gone in completely the opposite direction, that the town we were looking for was 85km away and that his house was in fact shut for renovations as it was off-season. Dammit. Everything in Chile seems to shut in winter! However, not being ones so easily deterred, we decided to take a bus the following day to explore the town and maybe convince someone, with tears and grovelling, to let us in for a little peek. Isla Negra is pretty much a one street town but it has the most beautiful, dramatic beach covered in little pink and blue shells and big rocks. And we had it all to ourselves. At last, a bonus for being somewhere at the wrong time of year. The house was not open and they weren’t going to open it for us but we could see loads of it from the outside anyway. And honestly, having this little slice of wild sea and sand to ourselves made up for more than the inside of anyone’s house could offer.

Our task for Valparaiso and indeed Chile accomplished, we made our way further up and out and found ourselves, once again on the coast, in La Serena. This town is not really very exciting (except when you make it exciting by sneaking in and out of the Japanese gardens without paying) but it is a gateway for the more interesting inland filled with pisco distilleries and telescopes for viewing the night skies.

Pisco is a type of very strong wine, made from very sweet grapes. Perhaps the best description of it is as a young brandy. In Chile and Peru it is usually served in a cocktail with lime as “Pisco Sours” (very nice, by the way, but the pure stuff will kill any disease floating around your blood stream I am sure). Pisco Elqui is a town in the Elqui valley that is renowned for the pisco it produces and is really good for tours and information regarding this specialty. It also has a restaurant that serves really good lasagne :)