COQUIMBO, CHILE
This is STILL a new port for us. We were suppose to call on this port on our 2016 Circle South America cruise but the dock had been destroyed by a 8.5 earthquake and resulting tsunami the year before. Both Coquimbo and our next port, Iquique (we were also unable to dock there in 2016), are not in protected harbors but rather exposed to the ocean and earthquakes. We were able to dock here at 8:30 this morning after a smooth night at sea.
Historical/Background Info:
Coquimbo dates back to 1879. With a population of over 200,000, it lies in the Elqui valley just 6 miles south of the province capital of La Serena and along the Pan American Highway. This 19,000 mile long highway system runs from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, except for a 60 mile stretch of marshland between southern Panama and the border of northern Columbia. This is called the Darien Gap. In total, the Pan American Highway travels through 9 countries.
Coquimbo is just 250 miles north of Santiago. In the 1800’s the port became important because of the gold and copper industries back then.. Today it is an industrial and shipping center for north Chile. Fruits and copper are shipped from here as well as some wine production in the area. One of the largest crosses in the world has been built here out of concrete and dominates the city skyline. It is beautifully lit at night and in English is called, “The Cross of the Third Millennium”. Tourists are attracted here because of the fine, white sandy beaches and the region’s mild climate. Agriculture and fishing are its other main industries.
Although not part of my tour today, I feel I must mention that the favorable atmospheric conditions and lack of city lights make the Elqui valley a prime location for many astronomical observatories. The largest and most famous complex is located on Cerro Tololo 50 miles east of La Serena, and Cerro Pachon just 6 miles further to the southeast, which is still under development. The Cerro Tololo Observatory began operations in 1965. It is one of two observatories managed by the “National Optical Astronomy Observatory”, the other being the Peak Kitt National Observatory near Tucson, AZ. I will take the observatory tour next time I come to Coquimbo.
What We Did Last Night:
After the mandatory emergency drill, we got ready and headed down to the Meridian Lounge for pre-dinner cocktails and is where we had arranged to meet our dinner companion, Marcia Rector. She is a sweetheart from Toronto and is "Diamond" status with over 1000 nights on Regent cruises. We hope to achieve that someday but will only have 637 nights after this cruise.
Kadek, one of two "adopted" sons from Bali. He is a bartender.
Yeva is from Lithuania and bartender in the Meridian Lounge. I asked her how to pronounce her name and she said, "trouble". LOL She has a great personality.
Dinner in Prime 7 with our friend from Toronto, Marcia Rector. Great evening!!
Popcorn sundae. They used to be larger. Love it. Rebecca had a filet and I had filet with lobster tail.
What We Did Today:
Well, I’m going to try this again. In 2016 I had the same tour booked as I am doing today, Journey to Elqui Valley. This valley is a wine region in northern Chile with vineyards extending from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes mountains. The valley lies at the southern end of the Atacama Desert (driest in the world) but this narrow and fertile strip of land is irrigated by the Elqui River whose water comes down from the Andes. Wine production began here in the 1900’s. As you will see in my photos, my tour visited Pisco distillery. Pisco is a colorless or yellowish to amber brandy made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit from the muscat grape. Peru also produces pisco also but Chile produces 3 times what Peru does. You may have heard of the drink, “pisco sour”. I’ll be having a couple this evening onboard. Chileans like their pisco as the annual per capita consumption is 3 liters. The region is sunny with less than 3 inches of annual rainfall but the growers have access to high quality water from the river for irrigation. The cool, strong winds from the Pacific Ocean make this ideal for growing grapes on the hillsides.
After visiting and a tour of the pisco distillery our bus continued to the picturesque town of Vicuna, which is just 37 miles to the east of La Serena. Here we had some some refreshments at a local hotel. On our return to La Serena we made a stop at the La Recova handicraft market. Bet the tour operator gets kick-backs!!! I am NOT a fan of this practice but I’m sure the women have money just burning a hole in their purses.
My tour returned at 4:30 and I immediately tried to download today's photos. After an hour I am not having any luck so will put today's photos on tomorrow's blog as it is a day at sea. I think everyone and their dog is on ship's internet right now. It is 6:00 pm and we are sailing out of harbor now. Internet should improve when dining venues open at 6:30.
We are heading down for cocktails in the Meridian Lounge again tonight. Dinner will follow in Compass Rose, the main dining room.
This is STILL a new port for us. We were suppose to call on this port on our 2016 Circle South America cruise but the dock had been destroyed by a 8.5 earthquake and resulting tsunami the year before. Both Coquimbo and our next port, Iquique (we were also unable to dock there in 2016), are not in protected harbors but rather exposed to the ocean and earthquakes. We were able to dock here at 8:30 this morning after a smooth night at sea.
Historical/Background Info:
Coquimbo dates back to 1879. With a population of over 200,000, it lies in the Elqui valley just 6 miles south of the province capital of La Serena and along the Pan American Highway. This 19,000 mile long highway system runs from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, except for a 60 mile stretch of marshland between southern Panama and the border of northern Columbia. This is called the Darien Gap. In total, the Pan American Highway travels through 9 countries.
Coquimbo is just 250 miles north of Santiago. In the 1800’s the port became important because of the gold and copper industries back then.. Today it is an industrial and shipping center for north Chile. Fruits and copper are shipped from here as well as some wine production in the area. One of the largest crosses in the world has been built here out of concrete and dominates the city skyline. It is beautifully lit at night and in English is called, “The Cross of the Third Millennium”. Tourists are attracted here because of the fine, white sandy beaches and the region’s mild climate. Agriculture and fishing are its other main industries.
Although not part of my tour today, I feel I must mention that the favorable atmospheric conditions and lack of city lights make the Elqui valley a prime location for many astronomical observatories. The largest and most famous complex is located on Cerro Tololo 50 miles east of La Serena, and Cerro Pachon just 6 miles further to the southeast, which is still under development. The Cerro Tololo Observatory began operations in 1965. It is one of two observatories managed by the “National Optical Astronomy Observatory”, the other being the Peak Kitt National Observatory near Tucson, AZ. I will take the observatory tour next time I come to Coquimbo.
What We Did Last Night:
After the mandatory emergency drill, we got ready and headed down to the Meridian Lounge for pre-dinner cocktails and is where we had arranged to meet our dinner companion, Marcia Rector. She is a sweetheart from Toronto and is "Diamond" status with over 1000 nights on Regent cruises. We hope to achieve that someday but will only have 637 nights after this cruise.
Chef Pieter, chef in Prime 7.
Headliner entertainer in theater last night was Evan Bosworth. He was outstanding and did Frankie Valli songs. He is also the assistant cruise director.
Well, I’m going to try this again. In 2016 I had the same tour booked as I am doing today, Journey to Elqui Valley. This valley is a wine region in northern Chile with vineyards extending from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes mountains. The valley lies at the southern end of the Atacama Desert (driest in the world) but this narrow and fertile strip of land is irrigated by the Elqui River whose water comes down from the Andes. Wine production began here in the 1900’s. As you will see in my photos, my tour visited Pisco distillery. Pisco is a colorless or yellowish to amber brandy made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit from the muscat grape. Peru also produces pisco also but Chile produces 3 times what Peru does. You may have heard of the drink, “pisco sour”. I’ll be having a couple this evening onboard. Chileans like their pisco as the annual per capita consumption is 3 liters. The region is sunny with less than 3 inches of annual rainfall but the growers have access to high quality water from the river for irrigation. The cool, strong winds from the Pacific Ocean make this ideal for growing grapes on the hillsides.
After visiting and a tour of the pisco distillery our bus continued to the picturesque town of Vicuna, which is just 37 miles to the east of La Serena. Here we had some some refreshments at a local hotel. On our return to La Serena we made a stop at the La Recova handicraft market. Bet the tour operator gets kick-backs!!! I am NOT a fan of this practice but I’m sure the women have money just burning a hole in their purses.
My tour returned at 4:30 and I immediately tried to download today's photos. After an hour I am not having any luck so will put today's photos on tomorrow's blog as it is a day at sea. I think everyone and their dog is on ship's internet right now. It is 6:00 pm and we are sailing out of harbor now. Internet should improve when dining venues open at 6:30.
We are heading down for cocktails in the Meridian Lounge again tonight. Dinner will follow in Compass Rose, the main dining room.
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