After breakfast, Larry and I looked off the side of the ship at the town of Coquimbo. The town rose up the hill with a layer of dilapidated, old houses extending as far as the eye could see. We decided to just enjoy a little walk to the local downtown.
We walked off the ship heading to the port entrance. We had to run our small hand bag through the electronic scanner...the Chilean port authority folks are very strict about not allowing fruits, plants, meats, from outside the country to enter. We walked through a very modern marina welcome center and out into an unpaved, path to walk along the waterfront. Here we encountered a large plaza with views of the fishing vessels that were anchored out in the harbor. We walked on through the plaza into a large tented area full of local vendors who were selling the Chilean trinkets and woolen wear knitted from the Alpacas. This led into the local fishing market.
What a bunch of fish! Any kind that you would ever wish for and some that we had never heard of. The people were friendly wanting to show their stock to you. Some locals were eating a little cup of a raw fish stew with tomatoes and peppers. We could only imagine the effects it would have on our intestines if this was tested and politely said, "No, gracias".
We wandered behind the fish market and saw the fisherman at work, scaling and beheading their catch of the day....by the way there was no refrigeration or ice to be seen on any of the fish for sale. The smells were quite, well....fishy.
Large dogs lay everywhere...sleeping on sidewalks and every street corner. They looked healthy and didn't seem to mind the bustle of the traffic that went by. We also saw a lot of stray cats. They looked skinny and unkept. It was very heart breaking to see these animals in excess roaming about the town.
We watched enormous seals wallow about in the water. They were the largest seals I have ever seen. Why were they so big? They just swam around close to the docks and ate up the cleanings of the fisherman's catch of the day. A kind of free meal everyday. It was fun to watch them and hear their barking.
We crossed the street and passed the local O'Higgins Park, heading for the hillside toward the Cruz del III Milenio (Third Millenium Cross).
We conquered one hill following the paved ramp up the hill and decided after seeing the neighborhood that it might not be a good idea to continue on so we headed back down the hill to the Plaza de Armas...City Center. Here was a stage for performances and a large fountain....nicer area.
We continued to walk toward the Barrio Ingles, an area of bars, theater and live music...we did not hear any while there. We passed El Domo which exhibited some of the items of the locals who lived in the region from 900-1200AD.
We saw a colorful mural on Freire Street that depicted the first inhabitants. As we approached the edge of the town the sidewalk and road became less accommodating and we decided to head back into the maintained part of the city.
We ate lunch in the Casa De Las Artes Plaza. Here was a Puma sponsored tractor trailer display of the Chilean Soccer Team that was going to the World Cup in Rio in a few weeks. Some local students were displaying their winning soccer skills.
We decided to head back to the ship...the day was another overcast foggy day....happy that there was no rain and the temps were a moderate 69 degrees. We are beginning to believe that the west side of South America is a very foggy area in the mornings and the fog burns off for a short period of time in the late afternoon. Today the sun came out about 3:00 pm and by the sail away time of 5:00, the fog returned.
We ate a nice Red Snapper dinner in the Horizon Cafe. We watched a Gacho Show in the Princess Theatre and then went to our room to watch last movie made by James Gandolfini,"Enough Said" .
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