I spent a number of days in and around La Serena, which was a nice change from the scenery to the north. I spent Christmas there with a wonderful family. Many of these pictures come from the surrounding area, in Valle de Elqui.
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The plaza de armas in Antofogasta
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A Christmas tree, of sorts, in Antofogasta
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Using the ramp up to the street like a slide.
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The table, set for Christmas dinner
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Pretty
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Christmas dinner!
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So cute!
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The youngest member of the family
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The plaza de armas in Vicuņa
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One of the flowers in the plaza
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The currently-dry fountain in Vicuņa's plaza de armas
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vicuna fountain 2
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A city street, in vicuņa
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Pisco to be
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More Pisco to be
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Adobe walls are still commonly used here.
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Not a typical vehicle for the states
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Green! At long last, green!
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It says something when I think this is a sign of a moist climate
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more valley
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Looking back over the town of Vicuņa
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Another view
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The cross atop Cerro de la Virgen
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Hard to see here, but on the ridgeline there is at least one observatory.
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It's not a helicopter, but it's the best I can do right now for arial photography.
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There were some spikey trees grown here
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Lots of spikes
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More spikes
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These were quite pretty, and seemed to grow wild on the sides of the valley
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Another nice flower
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The panelled walls
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A single panel
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More walls
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An especially bright one
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The main cemetery
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cemetery 2
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cemetery 3
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These were on a tree growing on the street
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The view from the pisco factory
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Don't drink and drive...
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Aging pisco. The big casks here are made of Chilean wood. The smaller (and apparantly better) casks are made of American oak.
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The same thing, from above
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A blurry shot of the production line
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For the stanford folks..
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The plaza de armas in Pisco Elqui
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Growing in a yard in Pisco Elqui
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Looking up the valley, Pisco Elqui
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Another valley view
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The sides of the valley are dry
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The church in the plaza de armas, in Pisco Elqui
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A nice street near downtown La Serena
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The lighthouse at Playa Faro
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This is where I spent most of Christmas day
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Across the way, where the cross is, is Coyquimbo
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And some pictures for those of you that like Helicopters
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On this flight, I'm told (I didn't see it :( ) the helicopter grabbed two people out of the water that had gotten grabbed by a current and couldn't get back to shore.
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One last shot.
vanwie at cryptio dot net