Going To Arica

Sunday night at the beach in Iquique at the surf camp. 

We left Iquique at nine in the morning and arrived two hundred miles north at Arica by two in the afternoon. 

We know this road by now so the drive through the Atacama Desert was both familiar and easy. Last night we parked at the beach.

A bit more organized than where we started the day on Monday. 

But we had a good last day in Iquique. We went into town at three o’clock and had a bang up early dinner…

…at Neptuno   restaurant, a   local tradition which was recommended by a overlander friend from Chile. 

Clams covered in cheese sauce. I know in the US fish and cheese don’t go but hereabouts they make this combination all the time. 

I got my second favorite fish as cod wasn’t on the menu and I had fried fish with Chilean salad- thin sliced red onions and tomatoes in a light vinegar dressing. 

Layne had a traditional Chilean dish which makes a cheese statement called pastel de jaiba which is shredded crab in a cheese sauce. It’s incredibly rich so we ended up sharing it and putting half my food in a to go box. 

The end of this memorable meal was a mango meringue cake, light and sweet and crunchy. Layne forced me to share…$60 with drinks and we were happy and very content. It feels like a privileged life. 

Iquique is no one’s idea of a tourist town but Sunday evening everyone was out and the waterfront looked great.

Of course the fact that everyone was out meant we couldn’t park on the waterfront as all spots were taken. 

The fact that overnight parking on the waterfront isn’t a problem is pretty cool. No one puts camping gear out or abuses the privilege and we wanted to be there. 

Back at the surf camp we were happy, Mark the campground is areas there and we said hi and it felt good to see a friendly face we knew. We went to bed early and were ready to drive in the morning. Here are some photos of the road north. 

This huge sand dune is called Dragon Mountain and there had been a plan to sell it to the Chinese for its mineral wealth. However the mayor killed the deal when the Chinese mine operators wanted to remove the minerals for processing in China offering no jobs in Iquique. 

China is all over South America. The US isn’t and it pains me. 

I don’t mind driving the Atacama Desert. I never got bored driving Iowa either, but I’m like that; give me a steering wheel and I’m happy. 

Just something I saw:

Chilean Highway 5, which is the PanAmerican Highway.

We stopped for lunch at a place we’d stopped at on the way down, not fancy but for six bucks we got a big bowl of chicken soup with everything in it.  

Followed by a garbanzo stew with egg and rice and yes we had leftovers for our to go box. 

And so we got to Arica the north most city in Chile 12 miles from the Peruvian border. 

First stop Walmart. You know Chile is middle class when you see a Ram 1500 pick up with a tent kitted out for camping. 

In the desert we tested the rooftop air conditioning unit in 80 degree sunshine and it wasn’t cooling properly even though it was blowing hard. We dropped in on an air conditioning shop where they’d never seen a self contained unit like mine. My heart dropped. 

Tommy got a ladder out and up he went, found a cracked tube, soldered a new piece over it, charged the unit with coolant and we were charged $45. Done in an hour and now he knows roof top air conditioners. Imagine walking into a shop in a strange town off the road and getting instant service with a lot of smiles. Easy peasy. 

Meanwhile this dude came by and started chatting. He’s an electronics engineer and worked on Spain and Silicon Valley and Brazil and has come back to Chile. He lives out of a suitcase and has thought about getting a van. We had a great conversation about life, working on the road, life in South America compared to the rigidity of work life Up North. Pablo waved and promised to see us on the road.  

We headed to the beach. Up next we have to get Rusty’s exit papers and hope Peru will give us at least a couple of weeks to get to Brazil. Normally you have to stay out for 90 days before you get another 90 but we only used 60 before so we’re hoping they’ll give us 30. Meanwhile Brazil were told doesn’t have entry requirements for dogs so that’s one less vet visit we have to plan. 

So here we are at the beach, we arrived around five and as darkness fell more people came out and hung out walking, in groups talking, not dropping trash, not making noise. 

We got $3 smoothies, soursop for me and passion fruit for Layne and walked Rusty. 

Relaxed and civilized and thoroughly pleasant. No prohibitions, just behave and use common sense. 

Wheelchair beach access included. I love Chile. 



Pavement sweeper: 

I feel perfectly safe here. 

Surfing Punta Gruesa

You can’t help but have the Beach Boys running through your head.

Sunday morning at the surf camp. There was even a class for a group of youngsters heading out into the frigid Pacific waters. I drank tea and watched. 

Layne got all nostalgic about her surf vacations in Hawaii but in the cold waters of Santa Cruz in California she did not surf when she got home. 

Rusty wanted a walk of course so we ambled slowly out to the point itself which is called Punta Gruesa. Which means “gross” according to Google translate. I suppose one might more elegantly naje it big point of something. 

We look like we are parked next to the dumpster in their above but actually we were not. We used it though and it is a city service provided by Iquique 12 miles away. Chile is so civilized. 

We also came across piles of seaweed laid out to dry and as we walked the seaweed collector himself came out to add to his crop. 

Gross Point: 

At night the pitch black is dotted with electric lights from this village: 

There is lots of room to be left alone if you like: 

Seaweed, kelp really, fascinated Rusty. It looks just like the kelp you’ll see on the coast of California. 

They surf of a Sunday morning while he works his other job. We work at being retired. 

Sun trying to break through the marine inversion layer above the coastal mountains. It gets quite cool first thing in the morning and any breeze makes it feel colder than 65 degrees in the afternoon but the sun is warm when it’s out and this is winter in the southern hemisphere so I find it quite acceptable. 

Motorhomez park near here. I’m not sure what the sign means but o felt find ignoring it. It does not say no overnight camping or bugger off or anything like that. 

Wax your board, have a chat and dive in. They all smiled and waved. The atmosphere here is welcoming. 

We will stop off here next year before we start our trek to Colombia and the Darien Gap, we enjoy it that much.