La Serena and the Atacama Desert

La Serena Cathedral

 We enjoyed colonial architecture and found beautiful blue lapiz stones on  a Sunday stroll through Chile's second oldest city, La Serena. There were pirate ships for tourists in the harbor. Nearby, at the top of Chile, there is no rain.  No exaggeration.   The Atacama Desert is the most arid non-polar site in the world.  There are rainfall recording stations in the desert that have never recorded any rain.  See more at THIS LINK.   The Atacama is as starkly desolate as anyplace we've ever seen. Traveling further north from Arica, we are out of Chile, and headed to Peru.  The Long Way Home continues.    

Saint Mary at La Serena

Pirate ship with our cruise ship in the background

Dusty dry place, even on the coast of Chile

Geoglyphs of the ancients

Cool statues in the Atacama

This one is male, the other female

With water and bougainvillea,
even the desert will bloom

Good-bye Chile!  You are awesome!