A swing through South America

[Scarlett]

SCL-LSC LA318
A320-200 Y+
CC-BLB
On time.

Needed water so went and found that generic 'bookshop, snacks, electronics' kind of place that seems to be in every decent sized airport these days. Then to the gate and boarding commenced at what seemed to be a pretty early time, although I've subsequently found it to be the norm for LA flights in SthAm. They start early because even using groups it is a slow process actually getting everyone on and seated.


Departure view of SCL.


The flight to La Serena is just less than an hour so service in Y+ is a bag of crisps and a little muesli bar kind of thing. Plus a bottle of water for each pax and then a drinks cart for tea, coffee, juice. No alcoholic beverages seen. The seating is standard Y seats but with middle blocked and what I guess is a comfortable enough 84cm pitch.

Descent view heading into LSC.


The last natural light at about 2000 local pulling into the small airport that is LSC.


LA, SKY Airline and JetSmart all serve the SCL-LSC route multiple times per day so although it’s a small airport it is still quite busy.

 

[Scarlett]

La Serena is an old Chilean city that has been expanded in more recent times to takes advantage of miles of Pacific Ocean beaches. Resorts, condos and that sort of thing have combined what were formerly separate towns of La Serena and Coquimbo into one large urban area. La Serena old town is actually a couple of kilometres back from the coastline closer to a valley running eastward into the Andes.

I had booked accommodation in the old town area and it turned out to be a couple of Spanish era mansions tastefully restored as a boutique hotel.



It felt a bit like a Moroccan riad with a central open air area and rooms around the outside of the buildings. Staff were lovely too.

The town itself was a mix of some pleasant surroundings along with narrow, basic or maybe ramshackle areas.


I’d come to La Serena for what was the second best ranked golf course in Chile, unimaginatively named Campo de Golf La Serena. As the weather was better for the second day I was in town, for this day I first headed to a different course just for some practice. Pan de Azucar (sugar bread? - ahh Google translate calls it Sugarloaf - which is a common enough name. It’s most familiar to me for Mount Sugarloaf near Newcastle, which was where the regional TV/radio antennae were situated) was the name of the course. Pretty basic club and course.





Lots of mature eucalypts again, but pretty average conditioning. However, I’m playing golf for leisure and there’s plenty of people in the world who don’t have a secure source of food for tonight, so it’s all good.




A couple of sprinkles of rain here and there but very brief each time.

 

[Scarlett]

This was almost a religious experience!

That night I went back to a restaurant right beside the hotel. As I’d gotten in later in the evening the previous night, the hotel staff didn’t really have any restaurants to recommend as they noted most places would already be closed. But I’d seen the doorway nearby and so just headed in there. Picture an old outback pub that has a token dining area and you’d be close. Plenty of locals eating there. Only locals. 1L bottles of beer. The sort of place that hasn’t changed since the 70s or 80s because no one wants it to.



They had a menu on the front door, and that was enough for me to order in simple Spanish because the older lady manning the bar and till had no English. Figured the Gran Bakarat looked okay (meat cheese tomato and I figured probably lettuce…)


My goodness it was spectacular.
The churrasco was like beef fajita strips; palta is smashed avo; and porotos verdes were I guess boiled/stewed/steamed green beans lathered on top of the avo.
(this kind of beans)


I thought I was getting a basic hamburger type thing but it was like a full meal.

It was so good I went back for the same thing the next night. When I walked in the second time the same lady gave me a knowing laugh.

 

[Scarlett]

Now THIS is what golf is all about!


Adjacent to the ocean, sandy soil, small undulating dunes. Most people won’t care for the distinction but this is where you find “links” golf rather than parkland or resort style courses. La Serena GC isn’t actually a true links as it doesn’t have the firm and fast turf and the grass type was a little ‘sticky’ rather than the smaller leaf size of traditional links, but by goodness it was a very well done facsimile.





It was fine and sunny all day; 20-21 degrees with about a one-club breeze off the ocean. Perfect conditions.



I play off a 13 handicap, so when I say that I was even with the card through 12 holes, it had the potential to be the best days golf ever.



Alas, reversion to the mean is a thing and I ended up shooting 8-over 80 (have broken 80 twice before in my life so no great loss). I’d played off the white tees for the front nine and having gone around those first nine holes one over, decided to go back to the longer blue tees for the second nine, so it was likely to happen anyway.

I’d say the course reminded me of Magenta Shores on the NSW Central Coast, or maybe some of the courses on the Moonah region in VIC, but it just wasn’t as polished as those. Probably would sit somewhere around 75th best course if it was in Australia. I don’t say that to detract from it, but rather to highlight just how good we golfers have it Down Under.