we p
that is all I got written back then so I will fill you in on where we went and where we are at the present.
On the 18th we made it on down to Arica, Chile
In the morning I went down below the hotel and took some photos of some of the people selling things. Here are some guinea pigs for sale. I saw a guy come up and inquire about them and the girl caught one and turned it over and showed him it sex organs. He bought it and put it in his small carrying sack. I couldn’t tell how much he paid.
Guinea pigs X
This gal was selling alfalfa by the bundle. This is the way they pack it out of the field.
Alfalfa X
I stopped at one of the little stands and bought some popcorn. It is really good and it doesn’t have the germ in the kernal. I am not sure how they do it but it is really good.
Popcorn X
We drove by a lot of these little desert shacks. I guess the government gave the people land and they built these shelters to prove up on the land? Not sure of that but there are a lot of them.
Desert shacks X
We were really in a sand desert.
Desert X
We drove from Arica to Tocopilla on
1-19-06
it was a desert ride but every so often we would come to a little valley that had water that came out of the mountains and they used the water to make farms.
Valley farms X
1-20-06
from Tocopilla we headed east as we both couldn’t stand missing the Atacama Desert.
We headed to San Pedro de Atacama. We were ridding into a big desert valley that evidently gets water from the mountains but the water cant escape and makes ponds for the birds.
Big desert X
This is a photo of dropping into San Pedro area.
Dropping in X
There were rain clouds in the valley. I had always heard that its never rained in the Atacama desert but when we were getting gas at the gas station, it rained!!!!! Come to find out, it doesn’t rain in parts of this big desert but in San Pedro it actually gets some.
Rain clouds X
We met a bunch of really nice biker bums from Brazil.
Biker bums X
1-21-06
in the morning we took the road out to the salt flats and small lakes to see the pink flamingos. The flamingos go out and eat the red shrimp and turn pink or at least that is the story I got. It got this photo of one of the nicest pink ones with long legs I have seen in quite a while.
Pink flamingo X
Here is another of just the plain ones in the water.
Flamingos X
The salt comes to the surface and makes a really rough surface.
Rx salt bed X
I put one of my little stickers on the office at the ranger station.
Sticker X
We back tracked to Calma and took the road south to Antofagasta. In so doing we came to the sign that said that this was the Tropico of Capriconio.
Dog at Tropic X
This is mining country and we met these folks on the highway. There are mines everywhere you look around here. it really reminds me of Nevada with all the little roads going out in the desert.
Wide load X
1-22-06
we left the campground down below Antofagasta and headed south. We hadn’t gone far when we had to pull off the road for this. We have been seeing photos of this for years. The BMW folks had their new bikes posed in front of this in their advertising campaign.
Dog-n-hand X
When no one was looking the Dog went around and pissed on the thumb.
Dog piss X
The desert out here is endless and I could see for maybe a hundred miles. It was very much like Nevada but there was absolutely noting growing. No bushes or grass or even bugs or birds. Nothing but sand, rocks, dirt and sky. Wow!!!!!
Endless desert X
We made it to Caldera and found a nice hotel. It is pricey but that is the way everything has been so far in Chile. It cost about $18 dollars for 158 miles of travel. Dang gas is really expensive and lunch cost about $8 and a simple supper at least ten bucks.