Costs pp: bus from Valparaiso semi-cama 8 - 11,000. We bought our ticket half an hour before the bus left and were given cama seats and a discount so travelled in more luxury for less... Tour of Capel piscoery 1000
The scenery on the way was not the greatest, beaches but nothing wonderful. At La Serena we had no trouble finding our 'couch' Oscar's home and in the evening he and his flatmate Carla took us out to dinner at a local seafood restaurant and shouted us a meal. It was a wonderful meal, we haven't had fresh fish for over a year we think. Both Oscar and Carla are geologists working in the iron and copper mining areas nearby. Oscar was due to go out on a major expedition in the far north where he is in charge of 70 people and working at a height of over 4,000 mtrs.
We explored the town and spent one day on a trip up the Valley Sol de Elqui which grows grapes to make pisco, it is one of only 5 valleys in Chile that are allowed to produce Pisco. We went on a tour of one of the vineyards, Capel, near Vicuna which was very interesting and we bought some pisco from there too. On the tour we met up with a great couple (also bikers) June & Jack from Canada and their daughter Heather who lives in Santiago, they gave us a lift further up the valley to Pisco Elqui and we promised to visit them when we head up their way - cool! The valley was brown arid hills with a very green valley bottom where the grapes and fruit trees are grown. The crops are watered from a nearby reservoir/lake which has been created with a dam across the river.
That night we caught the 11.30pm bus to Santiago.
