Tuesday, November 2, 2010

San Pedro de Atacama to Antofagasta

We had breakfast with our friends before they set off for the next tour. Some were staying a few days longer while others were here for one or two days only. After breakfast we exchanged emails and hugs before they set off. By 11 o'clock Curt and I were ready to leave. We departed San Pedro de Atacama for Antofagasta. We had 4 hours of riding time ahead.
Our journey will take us back to Calama and on to Antofagasta, the biggest city in Northern Chile and 4th biggest in Chile. Like Iquique, its also squeezed between the mountain and the sea with its grid-like road pattern, the linear city spreads out along the coast. Opulence is what comes to mind and one cannot but notice where all the mining money is spent. The city consists of huge shopping malls and like most towns along the coast the ports were used  to export ore. The old railway lines and station is a testament to this and some of the buildings at the waterfront give you a feeling of a bygone era. Our first stop is the tourist information centre to find out about the cost of hostels. All Curt and I want is a place that is not too expensive. We find a hostel in Banquedano and Latorre streets. The place looked rather run down and shabby, not much maintenance taking place. We only paid $6000 (about ZAR87) per person.
We dump our bags and equipment and decide to experience retail therapy by walking down to the mall for a coffee and biscuits and to look for fuel for our stove. On exiting the mall we are attracted by an exhibition stand run by a friendly young woman called Catherine who is intrigued by our nationality as her grandfather had spent time in SA as a metallurgist. This stand is a punt for CODELCO  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codelco the copper mining company which has a huge conference in the hotel next door. Eugene manages with his Spanish while I watch the videos wafting on about their technology - impressive as I am sure their mining policy is as well.
The hostel residential La Riojanita is very noisy and the residents here have no respect for others who share the same space they do. Our neighbours decide to invite people around to their place at 3 in the morning and have a moerse jol. It continues until just before we get up at 5 o'clock. Naturally we had a slight altercation with them.  

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