This was definitely not the traditional Easter break...Three friends and I decided to take a weekend trip to the coastal town of La Serena, located about 500km south of Santiago.  Everyone seemed to be going somewhere for the three day weekend, and despite the fact that none of us have class on Friday we were anxious to make t he most of our vacation.  Unfortunately, we were unaware that the week of Semana Santa here makes Labor Day weekend look calm and peaceful in terms of travel chaos.  Choosing a location, booking tickets, changing tickets, finding our bus, finding and booking a room (within our price range), locating the hotel, navigating yet another new city, and trying to book tours all on the busiest travel weekend of the year posed somewhat of a challenge.  I have new sympathy for travel agents.

   Upon arrival, however, things calmed down somewhat.  We rented a cabaña (cabin) equipped with a full kitchen, dishes, (and even complimentary food!) a few blocks from the ocean.  Since we had been unable to find four tickets for the same bus, we had split into two groups.  Our bus ride was somewhat uneventful (aside from a lady who persistently tried to sell doughnuts to those sitting around her,) however, one of our friends received news that his brother had while en route to La Serena. 

    This obviously had a significant impact on our itinerary; we stayed up with him Friday night and walked along the beach near our hotel.  La Serena is on a curved part of the coast, making the three story cross on the hill in Coquimbo, the neighboring town, extremely visible at night.  Aside from the circumstances, this ended up being a perfect opportunity to enjoy the tranquility of the beach, since during the day it was usually packed with half of Santiago trying unsuccessfully to escape the crowds.  All of the lights from La Serena and Coquimbo were glittering, reflecting off the Pacific, and we collected shells and walked to the nearby lighthouse in relative peace.  The next day, after helping our friend return to Santiago (and sleeping for awhile!) we were able to explore the downtown area, complete with a central plaza. 

    We were also fortunate enough to experience a Semana Santa parade.  A crowd of 400+ people, led by their priest, walked slowly down one of the narrow side streets next to the church, singing hymns and praying in unison.  The man in front displayed a crucifix, held high on a long pole. 

   Our final full day in La Serena we decided to splurge and take a tour of Isla de Damas, the nesting place of thousands of penguins.  After a two hour van ride through the desert we boarded suspiciously row-boat sized vessels to take us on the hour boat ride to the island.  However, despite our initial trepidation, the boats provided the perfect perspective to enjoy the twenty-something dolphins who swam next to us along the way.  We were even able to to observe a lobo marino (gigantic sea lion) basking in the sun on the island.  This was definitely the high point of the trip.  I will try to find a computer somewhere in the city that will let me use my USB cable so I can finally post some pictures!