Monday 30 April, 2018 1800hrs, Los Vilos

The shag was very tame but wasn't that keen to be petted.

A snorkelers dream - rocky and thick weed beds!!

A pleasant enough village to stop over, but I was surprised at the cost of restaurant food - and you won't necessarily get what you think you've ordered. I pointed to another diner's meal that looked nice (a fillet of fish) and thought the waiter understood what I meant - but got two Conger Eel steaks! Maybe the other diner had Conger Eel fillets, I don't know, but I think the waiter should have been able to interpret my request more accurately. I have to say, it was well done and tasty but expensive I felt at 8,500 pesos (almost NZD$20). accompanied only by french fries. The two small Coronas were dear, too, at 2,500 each - in local bars you can get a litre bottle for less per bottle.
Three nights here was enough. I look forward to Coquimbo and La Serena.
There's potential here for tourism and I was dying to get into the sea for a snorkel as it looked so inviting - rocky and thick beds of sea weed which suggested there would be plenty of fish life and maybe even Paua. My hand dipped in the water suggested the temperature was around 16 C which I could tolerate for half an hour or so without a wet suit (Wellington is often colder). But didn't see any outlets offering dive gear for hire. The other potential is trail bike riding - the foothills of the Andes are steep but negotiable and being devoid of large trees would offer great freedom riding. 
I do believe that tourism is more well developed further North - opportunities for paragliding, surfing and more.
Thankfully the host here was able to add credit to my mobile phone using his credit card (mine didn't work, for some reason) so I now have maps and language apps back. My bank account just grew by 376,470 pesos, too! My pension payment! I could save quite a lot by living here! Lol.
Catch up soon!