IT’S TIME FOR A BREAK AGAIN

Friday, February 19, 2010

Chañaral was once a prosperous mining town, but toady it is more or less the end of the road, or perhaps the beginning of one. It thrives on the traffic from the Pan American Highway passing through as the last major stop until Antofagasta, as well as the gateway to Pan Azucar Park. Truckers and tourist eat, play and sleep here. They also fill up their gas tank and buy other supplies or have mechanical repairs done as their is no service to speak of for the next 400km.

The town has some very old, but interesting buildings and an interesting light tower, which we could see from far last night when we returned from the park and decided to check from close by this morning.

We leave the clouds behind and head towards Antofagasta. This is where the real desert begins I read in our guide book. I do not expect anything special, but notice a group of mountains with very distinct, dark, horizontal lines running through them. They are called Cerros Veteados (Vein Hills), the lines are called Diques. The darkest lines are the oldest, the younger veins are more of a reddish colour.

As we move farther inland, the landscape is more like prairies of rippled, golden sand with in the background, low smooth hills, polished by the wind and the sand. Through it runs the only road to the north as a giant snake.

The trenches are filled with empty bottles, thrown out of bypassing vehicles. Even at the very few emergency stops are no garbage containers. Not that this should be a reason to throw out one's garbage, it is a matter of education. I recall, traveling with my aunty or with my Mom, in my very young years. They always carried a bag with them and told us not to throw anything outside, but place it in the bag and throw it away where there were garbage cans. As of today we still use that same practice, and have a plastic bag hanging on the car door, which is emptied at the end of the day, where ever there is a garbage can.

The colour of the sand and the hills change from gold to reddish brown and back to gold again. We play our music and every ow and then I reach in the cool box behind me for a cold drink or a snack and we keep on trucking.

Midway is a simple Copec station with bathroom and a basic private lunchroom for the truckers. No other services are available. A traveler with car trouble may be in for a surprise if he needs to leave his vehicle behind. There is no way of knowing how he will find it back.

I wonder where the two employees of this Copec station  live. Do they have to drive back and forth every day, or is there a tiny community somewhere behind the mountains?

In the middle of the desert, 100 meters above sea level, a hand rises out of the sand. An interesting sculpture, created by Mario Irarrazabel in 1992. Placed here, so travellers would have something to enjoy on the long monotone road between Chañaral and Antofagasta.

After more than a week without cooking facilities, I have another vision. A bungalow with kitchen at the ocean, to settle down for a few days. I know it’s there.

As we enter Antofagasta we turn south along the coast and see a sign “Hotel Playa Sur” . It’s not what we have in mind, but I have learned not to assume that what it says is what it is.
We ask for a room for two and the young lady shows us a room for two. I just know, that at a place such as this, right along the coast there has to be more than just a room with a bathroom and ask if she has something with a kitchen.
She takes us to a place at the lower level. Voila, a bungalow for six with kitchen and balcony overlooking the ocean.
Surprisingly, it’s not very busy, so we are able to negotiate a good price and book for two nights. I have four nights in mind but need to work on Ramiro a little.

Our first priority is to stock up the fridge with fruits and vegetables, which I have really missed. There is a large Supermarket not too far from the hotel where we can get anything we need. I am ready to cook our own meal again. But Happy Hour is our first priority as always, once we have settled down.

There is nothing more enjoyable than standing on your own balcony with a nice glass of wine, listening to the shore birds and watching the waves crash onto the rocks only 10 feet away. This is paradise, I am staying put!!