Monday, November 8, 2010

Chañaral to Caldera (89.7km)

Sleep is a wonderful experience appreciated after a hard day of cycling. By 7 a.m. I am ready to tackle the new day. Breakfast is small but ample and Agua Luna restores my faith in Chile. The service was prompt and by the time we sit down, breakfast is served.  As I head out of town the scenario is typical of what we have seen across this region. The port of Chañaral is just another of those where ore is ferried by boat to a bigger port or to some international destination. Fishing is small scale but provides ample resources to the village. There are lots of beaches along this coast. My journey continues all along the coast for the next 90km. The roads like many are in poor condition and badly in need of repair. Trucking of ore from the mines is still very important to this area. Buses connect all the cities together and there are quite a number of bus companies that ply their business along the route. The weather for the first time is overcast for the entire day and can you believe, it threatened to rain. One drop fell on Curt’s car and that was the total sum of rain (mm) for the year in Caldera.
I eventually arrive in Caldera. Just outside this town there is construction taking place on the Pan American Highway (M5). We stay at an overpriced dump.  The construction in this area provides the hostels with enough people and that determines the prices here. On another day they would have been desperate.
Caldera in its pass life was very prominent and boasted the first railway port town in South America where ore was transferred from the mines in this region. Today it is just a husk of the past. Bahia Iglesias is the bay where holidaymakers spend their time.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Euge...how is your bicycle holding up on those bad roads. One can only imagine what a beating your poor butt is taking as you travel along on such rough and potholed surfaces.
    Hope you enjoyed the drop of rain after such heat ha ha

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  2. HI arlette, bike still in good nic, butt not. thanks for all the comments and well appreciated..

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