Well, it really was like entering civilization again. As soon as we crossed the border from Bolivia, we hit paved road again. The Chilean border crossing was very professional and efficient and we didn’t get ripped off by the guards, who actually put our stuff through a pretty thorough examination. San Pedro de Cama was the entry city and I spent one night there. Had a great goodbye dinner with my friends from the desert trip. (Richard, Sara, and Lucy),
only to find out that we all booked the same overnight bus out the next day and didn’t have to say goodbye quite yet. I got off in the cutest place called La Serena 
and took a few tours into the Elqui Valley where they grow grapes for Pisco (brandy) 
They grow everything there, including walnuts.
and copau, which tastes like a kiwi but grows on a cactus.
One of the most interesting things I learned in the valley was about Gabriela Mistral who is a national hero (has her face on money) but she also wrote the charter of children’s rights for the UN and, seems to be responsible for Chile’s success as she forced education along before other South American countries.
My favourite tour was a great couple of hours at an observatory with an astronomy guide who showed us galaxies, planets and explained how to find your way by the Southern Cross. They have the biggest and best observatories Chile due to weather and clean air.
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