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It's me again, Helen, writing the English reports. Kirsten did a great job and I'm really grateful because her reports were very long ones and I would have ended up being way behind. There's also a very good chance that you prefer her writing to me! If so, please don't let me know otherwise she will end up having to write all the reports in both languages!
I spent 4 weeks in England arranging my dads funeral and sorting through all the paperwork. Despite the circumstances it was really good to see my family again. Thankfully I'd been there in September last year so I got to see my dad. Of course I didn't know it would be for the last time, so I'm truly happy that I was there only a few months ago.
I'm also really happy that Kirsten was okay on her own for the four weeks that I was away, 6 days of which were just for travelling there and back. The flight back was a bit stressful because I'd had to get a new passport whilst I was in England so when I checked in for my flights via Canada, my Canadian ETA, the form needed to get permission to enter Canada, was no longer valid. It's linked to a passport number and mine had changed!
I only had two hours before my flight to find a computer to get internet, complete a new registration form, get an email confirmation and get back to the check in desks! I honestly thought I would miss the flights and not be allowed to board. Amazingly, I got an email straight away and quickly wrote down all the confirmation numbers ( I couldn't print it out) and everything was accepted so I could board the plane!
There were a couple of delays - one in Toronto (for de-icing the plane!) and one in Santiago (problem with the plane and needed a different one!) All in all, it was amazing that I managed to get back to Antofagasta and that Kirsten was still waiting for me even though I was over one hour late and the police were trying to move her on. Parking outside the airport was supposed to be short stops for pick up and drop off only, but she couldn't park in the car park because there it was just a very small one.
Anyway, I got back and we quickly dumped my bags into the back and drove off to La Portada not far from the airport and where we could park safely for the night. We got everything out of my bags including a long list of food items that we can't get over here, e.g. Basmati rice.
I hadn't been able to buy Kirsten her German chocolates but she was very happy with the Thornton's selection I'd brought for her. My bag was 23.9 kg and slightly over the 23kg limit. It had only weighed 11kg on the way over! It was great to be back and we had an early night because I was exhausted after the long journey with not much sleep. Apparently there were three cars around us playing loud music but I was fast asleep before my head hit the pillow!
We stayed another night because we needed to do shopping and get water etc. We don't leave the motor home alone on car parks so it was a problem for Kirsten to get shopping. Now that I was back there wasn't a problem. There's also a water shortage here so we found it difficult to get water. With some begging and a tip we finally managed to get two 6 litre bottles filled which will have to do. We're good at conserving water so we'll have to try harder.
We didn't get WiFi either and we'd have to wait until the next day. We finally managed to get it and I sent a quick email letting my family know I'd got back safely. Then we drove out and had hot showers at a petrol station in La Negra. The price had gone up in the last two weeks, probably because of the water shortage, and now cost 1,500 pesos instead of 1,000 ($1 US more per person).
We also emptied and cleaned the toilet plus filled up a few bottles of water even though that probably isn't allowed. We were paying 50% more for our showers each and, because we use very little water anyway, we decided it would be alright for us to take a few litres with us.
It was already after 6pm by the time we left but we only had a 50 km drive to the famous 'Hand of the Desert'. We were here in 2002 for a short photo stop but it's too long ago for us to remember properly. We parked up behind the hand in a dip that was protected from most of the gusting wind.
The next morning Kirsten got up early to get some photos but had to wait because there were quite a few cars and lorries already there and she had to wait her turn. She came back to bed to warm up and then Winnietwo started shaking - an earthquake! It lasted for at least 15 seconds and probably only between 4 and 5 on the Richter scale. But still the epicentre may have been somewhere that caused damage.
El Mano Del Desierto - the Atacama hand
We were on our way to Paranal where Kirsten had booked us onto a tour - her second but my first, as I'd missed it to fly to England. Had they felt the earthquake there? Were the telescopes still working?
We were on the 2pm tour and had enough time to have breakfast and then drive the remaining 90km to the observatory. This time around there were far more vehicles waiting for the tour, at least 40 compared to only 15 when Kirsten was here the first time.
Kirsten has already described the tour she did in the previous report so I won't repeat it all. There were a few differences this time though. Firstly, Kirsten could concentrate more on the photos and took the ones that she missed the first time around. Secondly, there were problems with the English video that is normally the first part of the tour. So that had to be left until last.
The English tour had to be split into two groups because there were so many people on it and there was a different tour guide who provided different facts that Kirsten has also incorporated into her report. I also found out that the UK telescope called VISTA located on an adjacent hill, is used to search for dark space and meteors. Also Paranal produces one scientific paper per day whereas other institutes produce on average only 2 to 5 per year!
After our tour of the platform and the telescopes we went to the Residencia. It was extremely humid inside - it hadn't been the first time around. Seeing the video as the last part of the tour was a bit of a disappointment because we had already seen everything described and heard all the information. At least Kirsten had done it all in the right order with far fewer people. It was still well worth coming here and I really enjoyed the visit.
Paranal Observatory - 2nd time around
Unfortunately Winnietwo had a problem! On the drive back down to the visitor centre to see the video our brakes started smelling. It was all downhill but I mainly used the gears to keep our speed in check and only used the brakes for a short time. They shouldn't have been heating up at all. We obviously have a problem!
We met Arsen and Corinna from Berlin on the tour. They are doing a 6 month tour of South America and we had chatted and given tips. After the tour we spent time on the car park talking to them. I mentioned to Arsen that we needed to get our brakes checked and before I knew it he wanted to take the front tyre off and take a look!
He is technical engineer and Corinna is a biologist and together they had literally taken their Jeep apart and rebuilt it. So Arsen is a good mechanic. We got out our jack and blocks and it didn't take long to get the front tyre off. Arsen could see straight away what our problem was. The brake discs are rubbing on the metal saddle. They are too close together.
But Arsen knew what to do. They got their tools out and Corinna handed them over as Arsen told her what he needed - just like a nurse handing over medical instruments to a surgeon! They've obviously done this a lot. Kirsten asked Corinna how long they've been together and Corinna answered "Too long" and rolled her eyes!! We don't even know the German names for some of the tools!!
Arsen managed to get the discs a few millimetres away from the saddle and greased a movable part. Hopefully it will be fine from now on. But then he noticed that our rubber axle cover (not sure if that's the right word in English) had a tear in it. If it rips completely then our steering could get blocked within a few days with sand and dirt and we won't be able to turn!
He also tightened up a few screws on our engine cover that has a slight oil leak. We put everything away and thanked them. It had taken almost two hours and the only thing we could give them in return were a few fuses that they really needed, some apple cake and a few tips.
They also told us that they had managed to get onto the tour for the largest mine in the world near Calama which is something that we were planning on seeing when we get there in a week or two. Corinna gave us the email and internet details because we have to apply 4 to 5 days beforehand to get on a tour. I knew that there had been a recent strike there as it had even made the international news in England whilst I was there. Corinna and Arsen must have been there before the strike so we'll have to see what happens.
We left at 8-15pm and it was already getting really cold and dark. Fortunately we only had to drive down from the observatory (brakes not a problem!) and then found a parking area on the side of the road at 8-30pm. It had been a long day and took me over an hour just to write my diary!
The next day we drove back to Antofagasta, taking photos of various painted rocks on the way - domino cubes, a Nike trainer etc. We even stopped at McDonalds for burgers - big queues and then found a spot on the beach just south of the city centre for the night.
We found a mechanic listed on iOverlander and drove there. The one way street system is chaotic but we finally managed to get close enough so Kirsten could jump out and ask if we could get in today. I spent the time searching through our parts because I thought I had seen what looked like an axle cover. I found a brand new one left for us by the previous owner - thank you Steffen!
Kirsten came back and we drove into the garage. The owner is an engineer who worked for years at Paranal and ALMA. He's in Bolivia at the moment building water wells because the whole city of La Paz, the Bolivian capital, has been without water for four weeks! Fortunately there are two mechanics there and once we'd explained the problem they said it would take 6 hours and cost around 60,000 pesos ($90 US) but we'd have to wait because he was taking out an engine from a Dutch motor home.
They allowed us to plug in because we are inside and our solar panel won't work for the fridge and we managed to use the time to work on the computer. We didn't mind the three hour wait and at 4-45pm it was our turn. Raul got our tyre off and told us there is nothing wrong with the cover. It looks ripped but it's not and we don't need to change it. He checked the other side and that one is fine. We'll just have to keep an eye on it.
Raul also checked the brake discs and saddle for us - everything is fine. In the end it cost us $20 for nothing but at least we know there isn't a problem and what to look for in the future. We're learning to be Fiat Ducato mechanics bit by bit so $20 for a lesson is quite cheap!!
I had to reverse back through a very narrow gap to get us out and then, after a short stop at the Jumbo supermarket, we drove back to La Portada for the night. It was almost 8-30pm and we'd had another long day. We were looking forward to getting out of Antofagasta and back to travelling again.
We spent the following morning working on our website and finally headed north. We stopped for a photo of an ugly monument at the Tropic of Capricorn, paid a road toll and headed towards Mejillones on the coast. The town is very industrial but I was more interested in a road going to Punta Angamos, which according to our Copec books for Chile, is a tarmac road. We'd checked on iOverlander but no one had made any entries so we decided to check it out.
Well, the road was only partly tarmac and it wasn't long before we hit road construction and had to go through a very rough stretch, then a stretch with bitumen sprayed on it whilst going up and down, steeply in parts, on a very windy, curvy, and narrow road. There was also stretches of bad gravel and pot holes. Our brakes were squeaking, probably from all the dust and sand, and the road seemed never ending. We finally got up to the viewpoint at 5-15pm. Who's stupid idea was this??? Mine!!!!
The viewpoint has two cannons on it as it was part of a naval fort and is about 500 metres above the sea with a steep drop off and we had the place mostly to ourselves. A few other adventurous cars came up for the sunset and then we were able to have a peaceful night. We stayed because there was no way I was going to drive back down through all the roadworks etc. That could wait for tomorrow.
Camping spot at Punta Angamos - 360° Panorama
(move mouse over panorama and click on the arrows)
After a relaxing breakfast we set off along the 23km road back to Mejillones. We got even more stones in our brakes and had to stop to check them out. Our brakes were fine but the state of the road meant we were getting stuff caught in there. We couldn't really get it out unless we took the tyres off, so just had to hope that eventually it would fall out.
Just before Mejillones we pulled onto a beach parking area. There were thousands of seagulls, pelicans and cormorants feeding on millions of dead sardines on the beach. Kirsten said she'd read on the internet that in 2016 and 2017 large swarms of dead fish were ending up on Chilean beaches including hundreds of whales. Biologists were saying that El Niño is the cause but other experts were blaming radioactive fallout from Fukushima. Both are possible and plausible explanations!
We continued north along the coastal route with a short stop at a cemetery. A lot of the villages here have been destroyed by Tsunamis. In Tocopilla we had a quick stop and managed to get a web update done at the Shell garage and also kill the thousands of flies we'd managed to get inside Winnietwo!
Just north of the town we found a quiet place on the beach and decided to stay a second night. That gave us the chance to do some washing up as we'd used everything we have and we're trying to conserve water seeing as there is so little here. It also gave us a chance to do some planning. Kirsten hadn't had time for it whilst I was in England so we were doing it bit by bit as we went along.
Further north we had to stop at a compulsory checkpoint which took 30 minutes. We needed to get a stamp on our vehicle permit. Afterwards we drove along the rugged coastline with a sea breeze - which we wouldn't get if we were on the Panamerican route inland along highway 5. It certainly would have been much hotter there.
At the next toll station we were given a free voucher for the duty free area in Iquique where we were headed and included free entry for this toll and also for the exit toll the other side of the city. It saved us 2600 pesos in total (about $4 US) and was gratefully received. It was valid for 5 days. It looked like the vouchers were only being given to tourists.
Only a few kilometres further we got some more good fortune - a rest area with free hot showers and toilets where we could fill up our water containers. We even quickly did two loads of hand washing - the cost of getting laundry done here is extortionate - $32 US just for one load. It's almost cheaper to buy new clothes!
We'd planned to stay on Playa Blanca just south of Iquique but there was no way to cross the divided highway unless we virtually drove into the city before we could find a place to cross. Too many extra kilometres so we ended up in the city. Not good. There aren't many overnight possibilities here and it's not exactly safe.
We went to the first of only two possibilities we had found and parked on a beach promenade not far from a children's play area. There were a lot of families nearby so we hoped it would be safe. Kirsten went on foot to check around but this seemed to be the best place.
Kirsten went to take photos of the beach surrounded by several high rises whilst I wrung out our washing and hung it out to dry. I also bought three Berliners - custard filled donuts - from a man selling them from his mobile pedal cycle with a glass case on the front. They only cost 1000 pesos ($1-50 US) and went perfectly with the cappuccino I was making. Yummy!!
There was also supposed to be a large Jumbo supermarket nearby so Kirsten went to check it out. She came back with German bread freshly made which we had with ham as it was too hot to cook. It seemed we were getting everything we wanted - free showers, filling up water and doing our laundry, great donuts and good bread. What we didn't get, however, was much sleep!!
Unfortunately there were a few bars and restaurants that thumped out very loud music until 3am. At midnight I added my voice to the cacophony and sung Kirsten Happy Birthday! Not exactly how she wanted to celebrate her 51st birthday I'm sure!
The first thing Kirsten wanted to do on her birthday was get a haircut! Now she looks 25 instead of 35! Our next stop was the Zona Franca which is a large duty free area and everything should be cheaper. We were looking for new tyres and motor oil. The latter is hugely expensive in both Chile and Argentina.
We couldn't leave Winnietwo alone here so Kirsten went out for the first scouting. She nearly got lost and came back totally frustrated saying we were leaving right away!! There was a large Michelin store near our parking space so I said I just wanted to go and ask for prices. They had our tyres and were doing an offer - four for the price of three for $518 US, not a bad price. But we have no place to store them and we still have between 4,000 and 10,000km left on our current tyres.
Then I went into the mall and realised why Kirsten had returned so stressed out. It was a huge shopping mall with thousands of small shops and boutiques selling jewellery, perfume, clothes, alcohol, and every kind of electronics imaginable .... but no motor oil! No wonder Kirsten nearly got lost - there were several halls linked together and the place was full. Hoards of eager shoppers and extremely noisy. I just did a quick loop, realised this was not the place for oil and got out of there!
By now we'd spent two hours here for virtually nothing. It was time to leave Iquique so we headed out through the town and up a steep hill. On the way uphill we went past a large sand dune where you can normally see paragliders, but not today. At the next toll station we produced our voucher to save us 1,550 pesos and headed to our next destination - the abandoned saltpeter mine of Santa Laura which will be in the next report.
