We woke up around 1:30pm. It was really hard to do, but we knew that we didn't want to waste any time sleeping when we could be exploring the city and most importantly the beach. We took showers and got ready for the day and then we were off to fill our empty stomachs.
EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED. It was their Indpendence Day, I know, however everything was closed. We had all been told that La Serena was the 'place to be' for the 18th of September and the entire town looked like sleepy hollow. We finally found a place that was open for lunch and we ate there. I had a meal that consisted of 3 plates for 5 bucks. It was very good, however the desert was really strange. It was a peach that was in some suguary sauce with little nuts. It tried it and wasn't that thrilled, so I shared it with everyone and got some ice cream instead. The waiter said that this desert was a typical Chilean dessert. I wasn't impressed.
After lunch we went to the beach and the famous La Serena lighthouse. It was so much fun and we just chilled on the beach for quite awhile taking pictures of the sea, the lighthouse, and each other. We had a great time and the best part was that we sat and watched a fantastic sunset over the sea. It was absolutely fantastic seeing both the sunset and sunrise within a 24 hour period.
After the sunset we walked back to the hostel to change clothes and get ready for the Independence Day Fonda (party)! The Fonda was in Coquimbo and we took a very expensive taxi to get there. We first went to a place to eat and I had the best pizza I have had in Chile. It was fantastic. It was in a little restaurant close to where we went out the night before.
After dinner we took a collectivo (a cheaper ride) up the hill to the Fonda. I did´t know waht to expect at the fonda and was really surprised when I got there. It was more like a state fair or city celebration then a party. There were places to buy EVERYTHING from cowboy hats, to shoes, to other items. There were places to play bingo, drink alcohol, eat empanadas, and ride rides etc. It was fun to walk around and enjoy the sights but it wasn´t exactly what I expected it to be. We stayed for an hour or so soaking in the 'traditional' fonda, but we all were tired from our party the night before and new we had our tour of the Elqui Valley the next day. So we decided that returning to the hostel, via bus, was a better idea. We did that and called it an 'early' night.
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