Sat 6th Dec: La Serena

It was very quiet last night. I slept well. The house did breakfast for an extra $1,000 (eu 1.20) so I ate in the guesthouse. It was a good breakfast, the proprietors obviously making an effort to impress on their first morning.

Later, I went down to the beach, about 1knm away and spent the early part of the day there. Its overcast today but warm. I watched the surf rolling in and some novice surfers struggling to remain on their surfboards in the waves. By lunchtime the sun came out and I had to scuttle back to the accomodation to get a hat. Also My feet and lower legs had started to burn as I hadn´t put suncream. You´d think I´d have learned by now!! I was a while back in the room, mucking about, with the tv on. Then the landlady appeared at my door with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. It was a lovely gesture, great service altogether! Her kids popped in to see what I was watching on telly but they were shooed away by her in doublequick time.

The rest of the afternoon was spent between eating and looking araound town. I stocked up with bits and bobs for my next bus journey, tomorrow, to Arica in the far north of Chile. Its another of the long ones. 22hrs this time.