What does Mr Humboldt plan to do with those penguins?

La Serena is 7.5 hours north of Valpara…  Yes, you there, in the front row.  You have a question?  Well speak up man.  What is it?

I’m sorry, did you say, or 3 hours by car

I stand corrected.  You can choose to sit on a bus for 7.5 hours to get to La Serena or you can hire a car and halve the trip.  The bus is more economical but there is only so many times one can answer, “Are we there yet?”

It’s Indiana’s birthday next week and we’ve come to La Serena to see the Humboldt penguins as part of Indiana’s present.  Indy’s a bit of a nature girl and likes most things that slither, swim or fly.  For the sake of alliteration I could have said, slither, swim or sashay but that would just be silly.  Boris’ sister Nefer lives here and she was kind enough to pick us up from the bus station and drop us off at Hostal Balmaceda where we’re staying.  Check them out on tripadvisor.com – great value if you’re travelling as a family or group.

During the bus trip Indiana chatted with a young British backpacker for several hours.  She was so mature in her conversation; after all she is only a week away from being 8.

There are several groups that organise tours out to Punta de Choros.  Formally a fishing village the local fishermen have traded their nets for tour guide hats and take brave passengers out to Isla Choros and Isla Dama in fishing boats that seat about 26 people.  The attraction is that the boats float around a Humboldt Penguin colony.  You can’t go on the island but there are plenty of penguins, sea lions and sea birds to see before heading over to Isla Dama where you can explore the island for an hour. 

This isn’t a river cruise, it’s in the open water and I’m not a sailor.  I get seasick putting bath toys in the tub for the kids.  The human brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time so I’ve now learnt how to say the alphabet backwards.  Talluah managed to be a seat for Truce who has a bony bum, a case of the wiggles and doesn’t mind the odd snooze while navigating the ocean.  Talluah had to deal with her own nausea that seemed to subside after the bag of M&Ms disappeared.  Hers is more the effects of hunger than the Humboldt Current.  I think the phrase is, eating for two.