La Serena, Chile.

By the time I reached La Serena, Chile, I was feeling a little burnt out.

In Bolivia, I had traveled a little quicker than I normally like to. I saw a lot of places, amazing places, sure, but there was no where I could stay, wanted to stay, for more than a few days. So I moved. A lot.

I meant to stay just one night in La Serena and use it as a jumping point to explore the Valle de Elqui region of Chile. But I was worn out and I just didn’t feel like getting on more buses. So I stayed in La Serena for three nights.

Are there enough things to do in La Serena, Chile to spend three nights there? No. Not really. I pretty much just wandered around the town. Walked to see the non-functioning lighthouse and the small stretch of sandy beach. I had an overpriced seafood lunch at a restaurant at Mercado La Recova, the market full of stalls of fruits, vegetables, souvenirs and, well, overpriced seafood restaurants.

And I took just a day tour to Valle de Elqui so as to not have to think, find buses, find accommodation. And I decided that I would spend my last two and a half weeks in Chile just between Valparaiso and Santiago.

Did I mention how hard it is to find balance while traveling? It’s hard. After La Paz I hardly touched work for a month. I fell behind on my blog. I fell behind on my freelance project. I fell behind in everything.

Sigh. Someday, I will find that balance.

Someday.

Photos from La Serena, Chile: