SHORTS, SANDALS AND SHORT SLEEVE TOPS

Friday, March 12, 2010

Our bags are packed again and it is time to leave Arica for our return to the south. We leave Maria and Paula wit lots of hugs and of course promise to keep in touch.
Just outside Arica we notice a group of sculptures we had not seen when we arrived last week.  Built in 1996 by Juan Diaz Fleming and named Monument Presencias Tutelares, inspired by ancestral religions. They remind us of some of the pottery our friend Hendrika used to make.

It feels strange driving south instead. I need to start looking at the map from a different perspective. Our guidebook also indicates all routes from south to north, making it a bit more complicated.
The ocean is now on our right but we won’t see it for a few days as we are heading inland for several side trips in the Atacama desert.

First we have to work our way throught he coastal mountains again.
We have driven through the Rocky Mountains hundreds of times, but I have never felt this uncomfortable as driving through these mountains here in the desert. I haven’t been able to figure out why until today.
In the Rockies there is always a mountain higher than where you are traveling; Here you always seem to be driving on the upper rim.
The Rockies are mostly dark and there are usually lots of trees or shrubs, hiding deep canyons and giving a certain feeling of protection. Here everything is bright and bare naked, making you feel much more exposed.
And finally, most mountain roads in the Rockies have plenty of guard rails and shoulders. Here, only the sharpest turns and deepest drops have some form of protection. So today, instead of focussing on the road and working up a nervous stomach, I keep my head down and focus on my map, guidebook and journal and let Ramiro drive.

There are lots of trucks on the road, carrying loads of fruits and vegetable from the valley. They seem to be pretty good drivers, but with the steep slopes breaks failure is not uncommon as we notice this morning. A truck coming down the hill lost control and ran into he mountain, dropping its entire load. There are Zapallos (a pumpkin type of squash) all over the road. Workers are piling up bags of other fruits and vegetable to be transfered into a different truck.

I am happy to be out of the mountains and on the plains again. It is also more relaxing for Ramiro. Now we can enjoy the scenery (ha,ha). Although it is boring, it is a lot easier driving for Ramiro, without the curves and slopes. Just one straight flat road. We crank up the music and joke and laugh a lot.

We reach the first village after 2.5 hours and stop for lunch at the first place we see. I order fish, which seems  to have been marinated in vinegar and has the texture of chicken. Dessert is included and consists of a cornstarch type of jelly with thin, cooked apple slices. Tasty, but too sweet for me, just like everything else.

Here we turn off the main road and go further inland toward Tarapaca, where 16 km inwards, in the middle of the desert is a 86 meters wide hill with a Giant Geoglyph, the largest in the world, named Gigante Atacama. It dates back to 900 BC and represents a human figure with a cat mask, holding a feather.

With the Airconditioner on, we don’t notice how warm it is outside. Scorching hot. The more inland we go the warmer it gets. No need to dig up the sweaters and long pants for a while yet.

Near Tarapaca is a monument indicating the battle of Tarapaca in 1879, when Chilean troups occupied this canyon.

The village of Tarapaca has a very glorious past as a result of the rich soil. The only evidence is the large number of adobe ruins amongst this oasis.

There are only 70 inhabitants. Every year, on the 2nd and 3rd of February, 30,000 people come here to honour the Virgin de Candelaria.
There is an enormous church, named after the patron of the miners; San Lorenzo. It was built in 1773 with funding from miner Jose Basillio. It has three wings each with a beautiful altar and several giant pilars. Most of the church except the arches, whhich are original has been rebuilt. The interior is one of the most beautiful I have seen. The most recent renovations, financed by various organizations and individuals took place recently when in 2005 an earthquake did a lot of damage to the church and  destroyed most of the houses in the village.
It’s nice to see the new houses being constructed throughout the entire village.

We’re heading back to the main road south again for another 50 km before we turn east towards Pica.
With the many valleys in this area there are various communities closer together, the first one being Tirana, another Pilgrimage destination. Here both Christian and Pagan festivities take place evey year. The street along the church is lined with souvenir stands, selling both strange looking Pagan as well as somewhat tacky, Christian statues and souvenirs, mostly with the virgin Carmen.
This church is totally different. As a bicentennial project the church is under construction, so we are not able to clearly see the beautiful blue dome inside with its golden stars.


We pass one more village and end our journey for today in Pica, where we find a Hostal for two nights. It’s already getting dark when we walk to town.
We’re surprised how quiet it is here. No music, no busy stores, no people on the streets.
The air is wonderful, calm and we enjoy being able to walk outside in shorts, sandals and short sleeves before we return to our room where it is pretty hot.