Cerro Grande

Today I had a big adventure! Two housemates, Matt and Peter, and I hiked to the nearby hill called "Cerro Grande" ("Big Hill"), where the television towers for the city stand. On the way up, we followed a dusty access road, cutting some corners and climbing up steeper grades! We could see La Serena and the ocean to our left (west), and the outskirts of the city, towards Valle Elqui, on the right (east). At the top of the hill, we sat for a while and became reacquainted with our city from above, with a wonderful view of La Serena and Coquimbo, and the Pacific beyond.

We planned a route down the other side of the hill, but some dangerous cactii blocked our way. We spotted a stream at the bottom of the hill, with a small pueblo, and families swimming up stream. So, we took a more gradual path down the hill to a calmer section of the creek where we could cross. We must have looked like strange gringos, emerging down the cactus-covered hill, to the stream where the families were enjoying a warm summer day. A young Chilean girl greeted us with the english she knew, "Hello, how are you?" and her friendly father helped us cross the creek, holding my hand and carrying my shoes. We spent a few minutes to bathe in the sun by the creek.

We found a quiet road nearby, and then we saw what Matt called an oasis in the midst of the desert: a fresh fruit stand! We shared a watermelon on the walk back, the perfect refreshment after a long afternoon in the sun. Amazingly, we returned by the road that arrives in town on the north side of the recinto; we were newly acquainted with the city after our afternoon trek to another side of La Serena.