Our Second Day at Elqui

On this day we got to sleep in as we didn't have to begin our activities for the day until 11. Tiffany and I woke up around 9:30 and began to organise our things. We went out for breakfast in the courtyard and the little old lady brought us avocado on bread, homemade jam and tea or coffee. We were not out there 10 minutes when the eating machine bursts from our dorm room. You Two she yelled to Tiffany and I. We sat there with very blank looks on our faces. Then she launched into a lecture about how we shouldn't unzip our bags while people are asleep and go through plastic bags. It is very rude and in the future you shouldn't do it. Apparently she doesn't get angry in the morning but we tipped her off the edge. We did not respond with anything, we both continued to eat breakfast once she had finished. After that we headed down the street to get some supplies and then returned to the hostel to begin the days activities.

First we headed to a Pisco distillery which was nearby. Nearly everyone in the group had a hangover so when we walked down to the basement of the distillery the potent smell of alcohol made some of them turn green. The pisco is made from the very sweet grapes that grow in the area and it has been made in Chile for centuries. Because the sun shines 330 days of the year the grapes grow really well except for the lack of water. The Chileans have set up nets to catch the morning fog and mist and then drip it down onto the grapes.

After the distillery we headed up one of the mountains to a little village called Pisco Elqui. This village was our guides favourite place as it was a hippy centre and sold a lot of pot. They were telling us to feel the energy that is in the place. Unfortunately it was midday so no one was awake in the village so no energy there. We sat in a park and had lunch and then had a wander around the markets. We had a man try and convince us that sand and water in a bottle was a natural skin product that really worked, we didn't buy it.

After a while we sat and waited for the group to finish lunch in a restaurant and we were met by the trainee guide. He then gave us his philosophy on life. We got a little confused in parts especially when he said he was a vegetarian but if someone offers him a plate of food with meat on it he will eat it as it is rude to refuse food. He then told us he smokes pot as it is a natural plant and doesn't harm the body, i neglected to tell him he seemed to have lost a few brain cells. He also told us that one day everyone is going to wake up and realise that alcohol is bad for your body, although not long before that he had told Tiffany that she should drink as she should experience everything.

After we got away from him we headed back to the bus and we drove a little way to a horseback riding ranch. We were given a crash course in learning how to ride and then given our horses, i didn't know mine horse's name so i nicknamed him Poncho. Then we got going and rode up one of the mountains. It was quite a good view. We rode for around 2 hours some people were a little petrified but we were only going 2km per hour so it was ok. Our pot head guide felt that he was the best rider in the world and would gallop up to beginners and scream at his horse to hurry up,. he also decided to have a go at Tiffany (an experienced rider) for having her hand in her pocket.

After the ride we headed back down the mountain and on the way stopped at a little village where a famous Chilean poet is buried. None of us bothered to look at her grave but we did watch a parade. Two of the churches were celebrating Saint Carmen so one was parading to the other.


After the parade passed were continued back to our hostel. Once again the others went out for dinner and we had an empanada each and tucked into another packet of cookies.