Driving me wild with excitement

Where do I start? Today was the most comfortable bus ride I've ever taken. I'm even ashamed to be Australian because of it. We travel similar distances to Chileans yet our buses are no better than brick seats with walls. On the bright side, we do have seatbelts that have both ends so you can click clack front and back. 

Add to my embarrassment, the roads here in Chile are divine. I mean totally divine. Not a pot hole in sight! If you choose not to pay the tolls and take the 'longer' and free way, you get all the twisties you could wish for going up and down the Andes. The trip from Santiago to La Serena is absolutely stunning.

Upon leaving Santiago smog disappears and the Andes become your constant companion. Whether they be snow capped, savannah with cacti, or both they are stunning. Imposing. Grandeuse. The complete landscape in one panorama. I dozed off to sleep for a brief moment, awoke to snow covered Andes in the distance, savannah in early spring time bloom, and to my left, sand dunes and stunning near untouched coast line dotted with volcanic rock with not a cloud in the sky. I could get used to this. Easily.

Yet, I longed for a moto. Not only would I have photos for you because I would have been able to stop, I'd have been absolutely enraptured (and probably stunned to the point of not being able to write this!). At a loss, I'd have missed my lessons in Spanish from Rodorigo. So, in all, I suppose things panned out well. I arrived safely in La Serena, eager to explore a city that felt like it had a strong pulse.

Wandering around, I found that I love La Serena. With policemen on BMW's like these, what is there NOT to love???

Tomorrow - a hired Trek and I will go explore the coastline...