Iquique - San Marco

Iquique is way bigger and more bustling than Arica, with a greater pursuit of the more material. The cities geography is something else, with a massive dune in the centre and a mountain almost leaning over into the sea. If an earthquake should hit up north here, it will surely cause huge devastation as everything is situated under these huge sand mounds and rock faces. 

The next day starts rather late and by my account 8 o'clock is just that. By now I know what this means. Isabella only serves breakfast between 8 and 11 a.m. It’s after 8 already, there's not a murmur in the hostel and even the goggas are sleeping late except for Curt and I. I discovered that  Chileans who run businesses in the tourist service sector (a) don’t keep their promises and once they have taken your money they don’t owe you anything (b) most places we have encountered (hostels) only get going when the sun shines up there arses. The work ethic here can be a bit funky.
By the time I get going, the roads in the city are rather hectic with hordes of traffic. Certain roads are blocked off as the main arterial road becomes one mass directional road as most cars are heading towards the CBD. I simply follow the cars going in my direction anyway. I know I am heading south in the direction of the airport. After making an inquiry along the way, I realise that I am going in the right direction. The road out of the city is quite hilly and before long I leave the city limits behind and enjoy the partial tranquility. In some parts the road is in quite bad condition and quite narrow, in other parts undulating as it hugs the coastline. There are also many little beaches along this stretch and it looks like it could be seriously hectic in summer or during the holiday season. The traffic consists mainly of trucks, buses and cars heading to the airport.  After the 40km mark the airport appears and is quite small as it services only internal fights. 

Its not long hereafter before the landscape changes dramatically as the Atacama grips the surrounding area. The weather is cool as the breeze blows from the sea. There are huge mining industries along this coast and trucking activity is busily transporting heavy material. Curt eventually found the car he hired, got a good deal and raced to meet up with me. We have a bite to eat and he is planning to go ahead and investigate some coastal national park. We make arrangements to meet up later during the day. At Peurto Partillos, a small mining port/ harbour is in full operation with massive boats being loaded with some kind of ore.
 

The road continues in its undulating way and ever so often a small fishing village pops up. Some are empty while others are in full swing. Apart from fishing there is also the harvesting of kelp. 

It’s long after and Curt catches up with me and we make San Marco the place we will sleep for the night. The little village has nothing to offer so we head further down the cost and find the perfect spot to pitch our tents.