Coquimbo, Chile

Southern South America Map

            Sunday, 16 Feb 2020 – We were scheduled to dock at Coquimbo at 8:00 AM.  Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and has a population of about 17.5 million.

Pirate Cruise Entrance

            Coquimbo is situated in a valley 6 miles south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than 400,000 inhabitants.  Its dock area is among the best sheltered in Chile and a winter haven for the Chilean navy, as well as a loading port for cement, phosphate fertilizer, and various ores and concentrates.

Saying Goodbye to Larry & Kathy

            Although Sally hadn’t slept well and had awakened Jesse at 8:15 AM, we were still among the last passengers for breakfast.  What happened to the time?   After breakfast, we got off the ship and walked a little way to the pier.  We were off the ship for only 30 minutes or so, but long enough to have our photo taken near a “pirate ship.”
            At dinner, we met Tom & Julie from Connecticut, who are cruising around the world.  Previously, they had lived in Rochester, Minnesota.  Since we were seated alongside the aisle as usual, later, Kathy and Larry stopped by to talk and say their goodbyes because they were disembarking the next morning.  We took a photo together and exchanged e-mail addresses.