One month between Coquimbo and La Serena (Chile)

If there's one thing I never thought I would do as an introvert was to work as a hostel receptionist. However, I was dying to visit Chile and my online work was scarce. So, I decided to give Workaway a try. It’s a platform for work exchange with all sorts of gigs around the world. To this day, I have mixed feelings about it, but it’s what allowed me to stay in Chile for almost six months.

It all started in La Serena. There, I had my first workaway experience at a nice hostel where my broken Spanish was not an issue. Every place has its rules, but the majority offers accommodation and breakfast in exchange for 25 hours of work. I would work at the reception, or as a bartender, or at the breakfast for five hours a day. Then, I would go check nearby cities.

La Serena is such a beautiful coastal city. It’s small and quiet, but at the same time filled with interesting people and things to do. One of my favorite things to do during my free time was to bike all the way to Coquimbo, a city right next to La Serena. It’s just so colorful and cute.

If you’re not willing to take a bike, you can go to Coquimbo by bus or Uber. It’s a short but interesting ride.

Back to La Serena, it’s impossible to not fall in love with each new sunset.

The Elqui Valley is a famous day trip you can take from La Serena. Pisco Elqui is a small village known for its pisco distilleries and its clear skies, perfect for stargazing and astrophotography. I was too lazy to spend the night there and I regret it so much.

Leaving La Serena was hard. I still miss its lazy Sundays, friendly people, and even my time as a hostel volunteer.