Exploring history...

Hello again,

I skipped a day as it was basically all driving, although the Pacific coastal scenery and the general environment were causes of several wows. By the time we arrived in Iquique, I had to check my emails and take care of some business.

The arid, craggy Pacific coast of Northern Chile

Fishing pays off in the cold waters of the Pacific ocean

We stumbled upon this place where millions of birds were feasting on fish in the coastal waters

This immense sand dune sits just outside the town of Iquique

Once in town, I also had to re-plan part of the trip. We had originally planned to visit several national parks in the area, but these are scattered about and quite difficult to reach. Add to this the

fact that service stations are practically inexistent outside major cities, and you can understand why the change in plans.

As I mentioned, the drive was quite long but also full of dramatic scenery. We drove the coastal highway, Rt,1, the main artery in this area of Chile, and to our surprise, traffic was practically non-existent. I could actually stop the car in the middle of the road and take pictures without fear of oncoming traffic.

Standing in the middle of Rt.1

Iquique is a large, modern city, with beaches, restaurants, and all one needs however, once you are out of town, you are back in the desert, hundreds of miles to anywhere. Suburbs are not a thing here.

Partial town view from our hotel window

Today we slept a bit longer than usual, stayed in town for lunch, then drove about an hour East to visit a ghost town, Humberstone. It was a magnificent experience; we spent hours here.

Humberstone used to be a town of 3,300 people that existed between 1870 and 1960. Its existence was based on the mining of saltpeter (potassium nitrate). Everything was done on-site, the mining, the loading onto railcars, the extraction of salt and iodine, the repair of trains, and all you can imagine that could possibly have been needed.

We met a man of my age who was bringing his grandchildren to see where he had lived, as a child, until the place shut down in 1960. He now lives in Santiago and had never been back. He explained, best as he could, how everything worked. He told us that he attended grammar school in town (classroom number  36). The place is simply amazing. Everything has pretty much been left as it was, and we could roam about the town as we pleased. Houses, stores, the hotel, the theater, the processing rooms, the school, even the children’s playground, were left as they were.

We could walk practically everywhere unsupervised. It was eerie and amazing at the same time.

A traditional communal kitchen

In what used to be somebody's old kitchen

A family's children's bedroom

Steam engine repair area

Viewing the town from the mining site

The children's playground

A vehicle repair shop

One of the classrooms in the school building

Railroads were the only means of transportation. All local railways have since been shutdown.

Inside the local church

Humberstone's main square

The grocery store

The bakery

The theater was used for plays, as well as motion pictures

An original dining room

The place is now a UNESCO patrimony of humanity, and it is not surprising.

We came back to Iquique in time for dinner and strolled along the seashore, watching beachgoers, bikers, runners, and dog-walkers, taking it all in, feeling very relaxed.

Iquique from the shore

Iquique, we have decided after the changes to our schedule, will be the furthest north we are going to venture. Every additional mile would be an additional mile added to our return trip, and we have already gone over 3,000 kilometers from Santiago. This does not mean that we’ll be heading back. There is a lot more to see in this region, and as always, we’ll keep you posted of our whereabouts. If you are enjoying traveling through Chile with us, we would appreciate if you would leave a like on the Facebook page or click on the heart at bottom of the blog post. A comment would also be most welcome. Thank you much, and once again, Buenas Noches for now.