Beautiful desolation

Chile never seems to end. We keep driving north, in this incredibly long, stick-shaped country (today we logged 385 kilometers), but there is so much amazing nature at work, that you end up not really minding all the time spent behind the wheel.

Today was mostly a “drive to your next destination day”, but we took a few hours to spend at Pan de Azucar National Park, one of which was spent hiking, under the strong, bright sun of the Atacama. This time we wore ample sunscreen protection and drank plenty of water. If we hadn’t, we’d be burnt to a crisp.

Pan de Azucar is a small area situated along the Pacific coast. Here the desert meets the sea, which causes it to have more plant and animal life due to moisture in the air, but it is the rock formations that made us say “wow” at almost every turn.

As for the rest of the day’s journey, the drive took us through the most arid of landscapes, without a single needle of greenery anywhere, where gas stations are 200 miles apart, mines of all types are aplenty, but where absolutely no one lives, not surprisingly. The road is mostly used by semi drivers, driving their goods to the large city of Antofagasta, Chile’s second largest, where we are now lodged. It is simply amazing that such a large city could exist surrounded by this much vastness of rock and sand. About 75 km. south of the city, we saw an enormous hand rise out of the desert. It’s called the “Mano del Desierto”, and it is a site to behold; in the middle of nothing. While there we experienced a brutal sandstorm and had to wait in the vehicle before venturing out to snap a couple of photos.

Antofagasta is, of course, on the ocean. It is a large seaport, mostly for ore-carrying ships, but is also a somewhat elegant place, with a lovely sea promenade, and seemingly great restaurants. We had a delicious ceviche dinner in a beautiful Fusion restaurant, then strolled back to our waterfront hotel with views of the city from one window, and the Pacific on the other.

Waterfront view

Tomorrow another seemingly long drive awaits us, and yes, we’ll still be heading north, but this time entirely along the coast, where we expect to enjoy more superb scenery. Buona notte.