Antofagasta.

Battery or alternator

I am writing in less than brilliant circumstances. We have encountered some electrical problems on the van. The problem is with the battery charging but it is very hard to grasp exactly what the trouble is. I shall describe more of our circumstances shortly.

Final goodbye from our friend

Having arrived on the Eastern, Pacific, side of the Atacama desert,  We had just had quite a long drive to get here in time for our appointed tour of the European Southern Observatory.

The overwhelming mining industry all around

We spent our night in the filling station it was ok but the whole industrial area works night and day there is dust in the atmosphere and a faint smell of sulphur, a lot of traffic noise and water is in short supply Some of the staff were a bit unpleasant.

After breakfast, we managed to top up with water by paying to use the toilets that were in an appalling state, nearly everything was out of order. In the end, I held 5 litre jugs under a pipe sticking out of the wall, that is a shower. We filled the jug several times passing it out of the window.

My mum always told me that god pays his debts without money. I returned to the van to find that we had a puncture!It wasn’t too difficult to change. I was in slow mode so it took about 25 minutes and we were off to The European Southern Observatory.

The (almost) straight road to the Observatory 

It was about an hour to the observatory and we were really surprised to find such good roads and excellent signs, really a lot better than might be expected. We were deliberately early to make sure we were in time.  The observatory is on top of a mountain. 

Our first sight of The European Southern Observatory

The road up was so good that it added to the beauty of the location. It was very high up. 

Perched up high on a hill

The whole of one peak has been levelled and is home to 4 huge telescopes, and 4 smaller ones, which, as we were to learn, are designed to function together in a way that makes them one of the largest telescopes anywhere. But I am getting ahead of myself.



Old friends

Surprise meeting of so many old friends

As I mentioned we were early. We had thought of having lunch while we waited and then a French man arrived in his camper we had met him before in Salta. Then we were greeted by two Dutch friends that we had spent a bit of time with the previous week. At this point a van arrived with two people that we have come to know quite well,

Kebabs and Bratwurst sold here!  Chilli sauce?

Bruno and Nese from Germany we had wondered where they had got to. It was such a lovely opportunity to catch up. It was altogether a really enjoyable gathering and such a surprise.

I have a friend, Siew Meng, who is a serious star gazer. He really would have liked to visit the observatory and he is envious of our visit So I took lot of pics for him I do hope they will be good for him, but the detail in this account is very much with him in mind.

To Infinity and beyond!!!!

A very special moment

The tour of the observatory was really special.

We began down at base level, with a safety briefing and we were made to wear hard hats and given strict instructions not to wander off.  

Me looking good!

We were given dire warnings of the effects of the sun in this desert and at altitude. Then we were told to follow the leader and to drive up to the observatory.

On up the hill to the observatory

Driving up the mountain was itself lovely, the road was winding but so well made and quite new. All the way to the top.

A pretty amazin, car park in the clouds

Ping once made a great observation about our travels, she said “That van has been in some amazing car parks!” let me say this car park goes straight to the top of the list!

Vladimir.  (If that's your real name?)

As we walked across we followed our guide  a Chilean man with the unlikely name of Vladimir. Obediently we followed him over the concrete, as we rounded our first corner there was the first telescope towering over us and then almost immediately the other partner telescopes huge buildings I guess 4 – 5 storeys high. 

All four members of the 'Very Large Telescope'

The smaller telescopes (Small but perfectly formed) 
capable of being moved around on rails.

Then on kind of railway tracks were other smaller scopes. They can be moved around to suit the requirements of any observer. These operate only singly where the large telescopes can function together to massively increase their capacity. They can view further and with far more detail than any other Each one has a main mirror about 8metres across.which even if you are not tutored in the intricacies of telescopes, that is really quite big.

The heart of the Very Large Telescope. The mirror!

We learned that the mirrors, which really are the heart of the telescope cost Millions to make and each one is made in Germany taking several years in the process. The question came up, how were they transported and the answer is, by sea and then by road. They have to be handled with more care than is imaginable travelling at very low speeds with carefully planned route. It takes many days for them to just pop out to the docks to collect a new mirror. They arrive amid great anticipation of course. So it was a bit of a nuisance when on one occasion due to a movement of the lorry, a crack appeared in the mirror and it arrived damaged and useless. Apparently it is unclear if the driver is still working there.  

I imagined the phone call to the makers was along the lines of:
“Hello, that mirror we ordered,
Yeh, It arrived with a crack in it. 
Oh, how bad was the crack? 
Bad enough! 
Oh I see, well we can send you a replacement no problem but it is on back order at the moment. Might take a couple of years. 
OK but if you could put a rush on it we would appreciate it".

You see these people are proper scientists  they are very calm.

So anyway the telescopes are all functioning now.  By the way these massive buildings have a wonderfully low key name, mundane really. Yes , together they are called the ‘Very large Telescope"

Now while Vladimir was explaining all this he pointed off into the distance, he said, "do you see the mountain over there with the top all flattened off?" Yeh,yeh,  I see it,
"That is where the work is already under way to build the new telescope which is even bigger. It is going to be called The extremely large telescope". Brilliant eh!

We were allowed to take photographs of anything we wanted for a short time and while we did I really got the feeling of being on a futuristic space station. Clean and new. With huge scientific structures, all around us and looking out over the vast expanse of desert and mountains all around us. Not a cloud in the sky. It was a lot like being on another planet.

Gazing out!

Interestingly If you look at the map of Chile you will see that it is very long and narrow. It is from this deck that is the only place where you can see the whole breadth of the country. The Argentinian border deep in the mountains and then looking into the horizon you can just make out the Pacific Ocean. That was such a rare sight.

Just an office door in a very special place

One of the control desks

Each telescope has its own desk.  Please don't touch the red button!

Vladimir then took us down into what he described as the offices. We were asked to be aware that while we are welcome and may photograph anything, but there are people whose workplace this is.

We went down into another futuristic structure that was the offices. 

We first saw some actual offices that were exactly like an office anywhere else with humourous stickers on the computers and stuffed toys and photos of children on desks.

Then on past a corridor that was straight off the set of Star Trek. I never discovered where it went. We entered a huge room That had semi circular stations  with desks and computer screens. One such station for each of the very large telescopes.

Now you must remember We were not there to look at the stars we were there to see the observatory. No one was there gazing into space. It was daytime after all. 

Together with the computer controls  each desk has live CCTV view of the telescope.

Instead there are technical crews working on the computers and with cctv images of the actual scope they were working on they were doing maintenance of the whole set up.

At night the whole scene will change. Astronomers and other scientists from all over the world will come here having eagerly waited , sometimes more than a year for their allotted time with the telescope. The anticipation does not end here as the timetable is so crowded. That if their viewing obstructed by technical troubles, weather etc, then that time is lost to them. I cannot begin to imagine how frustrating that would be.

The whole deal depends on every thing being just right. The location is chosen because of the total absence of ambient light. On the way into the observatory drivers are warned that only sidelights are allowed  and from then on there is no light.

The atmosphere is above the driest place in the world so there is no distortion created by moisture in the atmosphere and even then, in a place where there is rainfall so rarely maybe twice in a year, They still find it impossible to predict, a drop of rain or a cloud can abort your time on the telescope.

Here is the real thing. That mirror is over 8 metres across

This is the middle mirror

From this control room we were taken down further and along corridors and then through a door. OH wow amazing! There right in front of us was one of the Very Large telescopes and the whole huge structure was rotating. Even old Vladimir was taken aback as he told us this is something that only happens 2 or 3 times a year. This rotation is done so carefully and rarely to avoid disturbing its setting. It is only done to give access for maintenance. Then right on cue came some people with very routine looking hard hats and tool boxes and began doing mending! Really nothing more space age than screw driver pliers and then they produced a hammer and electric drill!

The black gadgets hold the mirror  absolutely steady. In the event of a major earthquake they place it ever so gently onto a cushion.

 They then began their work as liquid nitrogen gently streamed out of some mechanism or other. That was a bit space age. But I digress. The whole telescope was some 10 to 15 metres high There are three mirrors one visible high up in the roof another amidships which we could not see and then the mother of all mirrors  there before us. It is so perfect and delicate that all kinds of measures are taken to protect it from accidental contact, from dust and there are very strict rules concerning preventing tools ever being dropped.

In addition we must bear in mind that Chile is a major earthquake zone  and there are complex measures in place to protect it from movement. On top of all this there is an elaborate array of kind of pincers  all around the mirror that suspend the mirror. In the event of a seismic event over 8.5! they will release the mirror on to a perfect cushion.

Whether you be a proper stargazer, or interested in complex machinery or even with only a passing interest, It is quite impossible to avoid being quite in awe of this contraption.

After this we were taken back outside. Vladimir  then explained something about the complex working arrangements at the observatory

Looking out over the campus

There are hundreds of staff here security staff, technicians, catering workers and scientific staff. Not to mention the visiting scientists and astronomers who come to observe the cosmos using the telescopes. All these have to be accommodated and fed and looked after. There are routine tasks going on in the day but the whole place comes to life in the complete darkness at night. Everyone works a strict 7 days on, 7 off routine On their days off they must go into the town some 100 km away. This applies to everyone.

The Glass dome and entrance of the 'Hotel'

We were then taken down to the most futuristic place in the whole establishment, The hotel. This is located deep underground, beneath a glass dome canopy. Under here is a massive accommodation block. It is underground to prevent the accidental leakage of light which at night can really spoil the day for an astronomer. The glass dome has a large and complicated curtain system which is automatically deployed before nightfall.  

Inside the dome, the grey device is the automatic curtain 
that ensures no light escapes at night.

Beautiful accommodation

The Hotel is beautifully appointed with swimming pool, gym and all kinds of comforts. It really is quite extraordinary. It is worth mentioning that it was used as a set in the James Bond film ‘Quantum Solace’.

This was the end of our tour we were taken back to the beginning and shown a brief film about the related other observatories in the area all of which are equally elaborate. And then we handed back our hard hats and we left to return to the car park the gate closed behind us and we were left to compare notes with all the friends we started with. We all agreed that whether astronomy is your thing or not, the sense of both fascination and privilege was overwhelming.

All friends together a nice bonus on a very good day

Art for art sake, Give us a hand !

As we all left to return to our various travels we drove off into the magnificent desert. As we drove along I noticed that there were rocks scattered around  all over on either side of the road. It was impossible to understand how they got there and I can only think that it is the result of some volcanic event, but who knows.

The road is very long and there is no habitation for many many miles.

 Someone has taken the trouble to come out here and paint some of the larger rocks, There are fairy houses, dice, a slice of water melon and a trainer shoe. In the scheme of art I guess they are no great shakes but given the location and the humorous nature of them I think they are pretty great.

There is one further art work which we knew about and which Ping was particularly keen to visit. A further 40 km away into the desert is a huge hand rising up about 30 metres into the air. It is just lovely and there are people stopping there to take photos all day long.

Time we got a grip on things

We were still in the company of our friends Uwe, Julia and their  2 children, Gloria and Raphael, as well as dear Nese and Bruno who have a habit of popping up all along our travels. We decided to camp in the desert that night just beneath the hand  the whole thing including breakfast together in the desert was really lovely.

Breakfast with good friends in the desert sands

Some minor repairs and a rather unusual experience.

I mentioned at the beginning that I was writing in unusual circumstances I now return to the subject.

We were once again having electrical problems. It would be necessary to return to Antofagasta to find a garage as well We needed to find somewhere to stay.  There were very few safe places in the town to camp. We had been warned many times of the street crime in the city. Vans being broken into etc. We stopped to buy ice cream and found two car park attendants going at each other  with big sticks. Shortly after we were driving on a main road when someone right in front of us hurled a brick through the air. I do not know why or what he was aiming for  but it was really too close for my liking.

We were then informed that there is a garage where the owner is very sympathetic to overland travellers. And his mechanics will do repairs while you can stay in your van in the workshop. This sounded too good to be true as there is running water, a shower, electricity and even Wifi. With no charges over the mechanic bill.

I arrived to take a look at my brakes and found my steering pump hanging off

 When we arrived at this unusual place where we found that the was a older Dutch couple who were having their engine rebuilt  and another young couple, Australian /Canadian, who had blown no less than 3 turbos on their small van. 

Eddy +Loren,. Make of this picture as you will

Both were feeling pretty desperate in their own way the dutch people had already been there for several weeks awaiting parts  and our Australian chum Eddy was really at his wits end as this expensive component kept breaking down and his budget was takeing a big hit. Not only this but he had spent many grease laden hours repeatedly working on it himself. I think it is fair to say he was feeling pretty desolate. Unfortunately it appeared that relations between him and the Dutch people were getting frayed. 

Jan + Marion who initially made us welcome

All Eddy and his girlfriend , Loren wanted was to leave and get on their way. We were there for 3 days it was a really strange environment as there was desperation  in the air as well as and inability to communicate with the Chilean mechanics and get them to do to do what was needed.
At first The Dutch people Marion and Jan seemed  nice enough, though they complained a bit about Eddy and Loren. Ping even cooked dinner for them a couple of nights which was quite enjoyable. 

Dinner time in the workshop

Then quite suddenly they just turned nasty they accused us of jumping the queue for the mechanics time. Which was really unreasonable as the only thing we had asked him to do was adjust and bleed the brakes. A job which Jan himself said would only take a few minutes.

Cordial now, but very different two hours later,
such a shame

It  was a really strange situation and it got worse they would not be consoled  and were really quite aggressive. In the end we decided to cut our visit short, we had repaired most of what we needed. 

So we prepared to leave. About the same time Eddy and Loren had also decided that while they waited for turbo number 3 to be delivered  They wanted to hitchhike to some of the places they want to visit. It so happened we would go the same way and we agreed to  take them. I guess it must have looked as if we were conspiring to ‘bail out’ but this really was not the case. They were absolutely desperate to get moving somehow and we had found the whole business of camping in a garage with mechanics who we could not speak with, rather difficult and was affect our mood. Having said that it was all a bit nasty.

The reason that I have spoken about this because it seemed to me that we give account of all the great people we meet and the friends we make  being such a positive experience, I felt it necessary to show that this is not always the case. I fully understand  that when you have waited 4 weeks for your cylinder head to be returned it can seem a very long way from home but it really was difficult and it was not getting better.

Salt Roads

More art.  On the Salt Road

Mini tornadoes often occur this was an alarmingly powerful one

We are now on our way towards Bolivia. Eddy and Loren are going about halfway with us. There are two routes  to get to the town of San Pedro. Route 5  a main highway we had already travelled once, there is also a road that serves the mines deep in the desert. 

At first I thought this was an RAC box but then realised ,of course, Its a toilet in the middle of the desert!

This is described on the map as a ‘Salt road’ It cuts its way through about 400km of desert including through the huge salt lake where a road about 70 km cuts right across it was such a great driving experience.

One consequence is that as you  get a bit tired there is almost nothing around to fix your attention on and after a while concentration starts to evaporate. 

Eddy helping with the driving, and looking a little too
relaxed for my liking at the wheel of MY van!

 So I asked Eddy if he would drive a bit. Considering he has never driven a van this size before I thought his performance was masterful and made all the difference. So we continued back to San Pedro where we would rest in preparation to go into Bolivia.

Salta to the Atacama desert.

We had such an enjoyable time in Salta with Sheila as well as being able to take a much needed rest, we finally left the huge municipal campsite with its dry swimming pool and  the awful roads in the city. Actually, I had been quite critical that such an important city can have roads that are broken and desperately uneven, on the whole pretty difficult and uncomfortable to drive around the city. Then I was informed that Salta has something like 20 seismic events every week. Most of them are not felt but nevertheless it does rather account the state of some of the infrastructure.

The road out of Salta. These roads were hardly wide enough for one car it is impossible to understand why they had these markings - a complete waste of paint.

We filled up with fuel and water and set off to drive over some high mountains along a quite flat kind of semi desert and then over some even higher mountains. It all took a couple of full days driving to cross them.

This mountain resembles the great wall of china

climbing to over 4500 metres 

full concentration!

The drive was consistently both beautiful and exciting. The reason I describe it as a semi desert was that it had all the appearance and barrenness of a desert but there was a lot of standing water as well as a few rivers running through. A bit of a contradiction.

Local live stock on the road

 

The physical state of the roads was very good and the weather was perfect. There were quite a few live stocks on the road, I did find some of the winding mountainside roads a bit difficult, especially when the sheer drop went over a thousand metres but as there were no other problems, it was all manageable.

Bad altitude:

As we rose over 4500 metres high, we started to feel the ill effects. The air was thin so the slightest exertion caused breathlessness, both of us started to develop headaches and stomach discomfort. In fact, we were quite out of sorts with real difficulty sleeping.

At over 4500 metres, and performing well

The van has managed surprisingly well, a bit difficult to start cold and a good deal of white smoke but otherwise we have got on fine. Most diesel engines perform less well as you go higher between 3000 and 5000 metres they start to smoke, lose power and can be difficult to start. After about 5000m they tend not to work at all. So far, no complaints.

An inflated bag of pasta

However, the funny side of this was that prepacked food that we had bought down below blew up like balloons. One other odd effect was that we have a couple of suction pads on the windscreen that hold satnav phone etc. At about 3000metres they both just dropped off as the pressure in them equalised.  He he! we put them back at 4000m so when we drive at sensible altitude they should really stick. It is worth noting that years ago, I had ‘Mountain sickness’ which was horrible and took days to recover even after getting down to a sensible height. So, what we have is not nearly the same thing. 

Along this lovely drive, we still had to climb up and then down again back down to about 3000m.

This whole environment is unspeakably beautiful. I do feel a bit apologetic to keep on about the scenery but it is just a bit hard to ignore.

silliness on the salt 

We arrived at Salar Grande, one of the large salt lakes in this part of Argentina, it is not nearly so big as the ones we saw in Botswana but it is very beautiful and even more so with the clear high altitude air. The road we were on goes right across the middle of the salt, it’s amazing. We were unable to drive on the salt as it was still very wet from recent heavy rains but we stopped overnight at a sort of island a where souvenir sellers have their stalls in the middle on the road crossing. 

After about 6 pm we had the place to ourselves, aside
 from the Canadian family that won’t leave us alone!!! 

We spent a tranquil night there, right up to 3am that is. Two blokes turned up and started banging on the side of the van bleating in Spanish that they need a lift just 10km along the road. It may have surprised them that given the time, location and the fact that I had no idea who they were or what they really wanted, I was not about to wake up, get dress and come out and meet with them. In the end, they wandered off into the night. I have no idea where they came from or where they were going given that we were many miles from anywhere in any direction.

Made of salt

This whole community appears to be in the water but actually it is wet salt crust

The next day there was different light on everything and it was like looking at it all over again. 

























Off we went to the second half of this drive.  In this part, we had to climb again to 4000m where there is a border can you believe it?

We had to go through the same rigmarole as with all the previous crossings to cross back again into Chile. As ever, all the staff were friendly and very professional. Immigration and customs out of Argentina and the same to get into Chile and of course in addition we had to be examined by the fruit and veg lady who decides which of the precious contents of our fridge will go into the bin.

Actually, as it turned out she was as stated, above professional, friendly and rather beautiful. She pounced on a couple of dead spiders with a level of glee that was faintly disturbing. She did comment, 'We don’t have many dangerous spiders in Chile’! 
Oh very reassuring!

What is really appreciated was that only once she had finished her examination and the business was closed she then said that she and her (English) boyfriend are planning to get a van together and make an overland journey themselves. I gave her our details and have already had a nice contact discussing their plans. We will keep in touch.

While all this was going on we got chatting to the American couple karen Catchpole and Eric Mohl who were getting a similar search next to us. They are professional travel writers who have been on the road for a staggering 5 years making their living from writing about hotels and other places of interest and then flogging their articles and reviews to the highest bidder. Very interesting folk. They took the trouble to send an email to us after they had taken pictures of our van on the road. They realised how difficult it is to get moving shots and sent them to us, many thanks, how thoughtful.

This picture of us on the move taken by Karen +Eric

So, on we go, at the end of this journey we had the strangest   last 35 to 40 km. It was a straight road and downhill all the way, going down about 1000m in height. It was quite hard work  trying to maintain a controllable speed using the gears and brakes but being ever conscious that with every application the brakes would get hotter.

just a glimpse of a simple but really beautiful,not to mention ,historic church

All the woodwork in this lovely church is made from cactus trunks

When we finally arrived in the town of San Pedro de Atacama I was absolutely ‘rinsed’, headache, breathless, and just plain tired.

The town itself is really a little strange, a bit rough and ready with unpaved roads and not very attractive. It is absolutely crammed with tourists.At the time of writing I have yet to know what they are here for. 




We found a campsite. The place we found was not chocca bloc with young back packers, is very neat and tidy with really excellent facilities and nice people working there.

We enjoyed that they had a large kitchen and a sitting room with wifi and everything.

Brief encounters.

We have met a number of people while we were there. Let me tell you a bit about them, but first we said farewell to our Canadian friends, the Law family who have gone off touring. We have plans to meet them soon, somewhere.

As we arrived at the camp we could not help noticing a huge Winnebago. It was  about 12 to 15m long which is 2 to 3 times the length of our van. It had slide out expanding sides which double its width. I have to say that I have seen blocks of flats that are smaller than this ‘camper’ We got chatting to the very nice Swiss couple who had bought the van in Sacramento California. And have driven down from there taking their time  travelling for a couple of years. I had formed the belief that this is a most unsuitable Overlander. They told me, however, that they have experienced no real problems despite the size of their vehicle. I mean they not only had two tellies, one of them was about the same size as the side of our van!

Joking aside they were really nice and took time to tell us that what they have chosen to do is to travel, long term and to regard their Winnebago as their true home. When they showed us around we saw it was impressively well appointed. It even had a spare bedroom! Being based on an American Ford they told me that it was really comfortable to drive. With all mod cons, air con, cruise control comfy seats all fired up by a modest V10 petrol engine! I really was impressed and Ping was sick with the dreaded,‘Van envy’!

Gerrard

James

We also met a couple of French guys James and Gerrard who were travelling in a tiny Suzuki jeep with a roof tent on top.

I got chatting with James initially, his English was excellent and he had such an acute sense of irony and humour, over the 3 days we stayed there we frequently passed one another and enjoyed some delicious friendly banter based principally on tradition Anglo French antipathy. 

There are quite a number of places to visit in this part of the Atacama desert. Such as salt lakes populated by Flamingoes, areas described as being like ‘Lunar landscapes’ and for us we particularly wanted to visit an area that has an unusually large array of geysers and hot pools and the like.

Now, as with all good things there are drawbacks. One is that it high on the list of tour bus operators. Another is that you really have to see it early in the morning. Also It is almost 5000m above sea level!

We had been informed that it was best to get there when the park opens at 6am!!!!!!!!!

Spectacularly beautiful drive to the geysers

We thought it best to take the spectacular 80km drive up there the night before. The drive was lovely and we passed one lake with pink and white flamingos; four of them!

One of four flamingoes

The road was a long steep climb up and up until we reached the park which was of course closed. We asked if we could sleep in the car park. They were clearly glad to be asked and gave us permission to stay. I have to say that the altitude really got to both of us but most specially to me. we could hardly move without panting for breath. And the headache and the way it seems to affect you whole being is horrid.

We went to bed early in preparation for a very early start. We watched the film, ‘Kingsman’in bed which was very good but then when it came time to settle down I found I couldn’t sleep. I had the sensation of being aware of every breath which is such an unpleasant feeling and I did not sleep at all that night.

One of the many geysers boiling water gushing from the ground

At 5 am we got up and after a bit of breakfast. We were ready for the opening of the park. It was pitch dark and we had been advised to get going early to beat the tour buses. We really need not have worried. In the event we were the first ones off the blocks. We paid our entrance and set off. We were instructed to drive 2 km and then park. It was completely dark and we had to drive down a narrow mud road all I could see was water either side and the road was slippery as it had rained in the night and had frozen.

3 am start for some poor unsuspecting tourists.

By the way it was ‘brass monkey’ weather! Any way we negotiated this road without incident. But it was still completely dark as other cars and buses arrived disgorging tourists into the blackness. They were not going to wait for light! We both felt we didn’t want to miss out so we went along with them trying to view the steaming pools and jets in the dark dutifully taking photos  and so on. It was well over an hour before the light started to show itself.

Sunrise over the Geysers

What we learnt was that these jets and spouts and bubbling pools were most dramatic in the morning when it was still cold as the amount of steam they generate is terrific But I have to tell you that we could easily have left it for a couple of hours, time much better spent in bed I may say.

Now do not get me wrong this was an important experience we saw something that many people never get to see. There are so many different manifestations of geysers boiling water spouting dramatically from rocks. Pure steam emanating simply out of the ground and steam everywhere. Oh yes , and tourists everywhere! As the light came it as really special. Once the sun was properly up and it started to get warm the steam disappeared and it became seriously undramatic.

Steam rises everywhere

We took a raft of pictures mostly in the pitch dark and then after a period we followed everyone else to the hot pool where you can bathe in hot ,presumably health giving , water. Ping was very keen to bathe in it. So up we went to the pool . 


Already it was full of people splashing around quite happily. 

I was pretty happy to sit it out as Ping went to join them. It meant I was able to enjoy the view of the pretty young things in their bikinis. However ping went to the waters edge , saw that it was a bit cloudy , deemed it unsuitable for bathing and that was the end of that. 

So we drove back up this time in the light to see that I was probably right to be alarmed  about the water either side of the mud road. I know the water was shallow but just the same I felt it expedient to keep fairly dry.  As we drove off the steam had all gone, and there really was nothing to see.

The drive back to town was nice but I was really tired  and with the sun high we made the descent to the town. I eventually stopped for a sleep but to be honest I should have stopped much earlier as I was really losing my grip.

Volcanoes all around the geysers

Llama looking perplexed at the large numbers of tourist buses coming to see him.

Engo, the campsite's dog was there to welcome us but when Ping bent down to say hello, he got frightened and ran off.

Anyhow we made it back safe and sound. Once back at the camp I felt really bad It was unspeakably hot and I was unable to hold myself upright any longer and I slept and slept.

I was woken up by the familiar sound. I recognised immediately the engine note of a van like mine being backed in next door. There it was, another Iveco like ours!  This is surprising as there really are not many of them around.

Rosemary , Verner and a matched pair of Iveco vans

This was a retired Swiss couple who have done a serious amount of travelling in this van. Ping has been feeling a bit hemmed in by the size of our van and if truth be told so am I.  She was already planning her journey to Sacramento where she would surely find the Van of her dreams.  So we were very keen to make the acquaintance of the people in the Iveco  and compare notes with them. As it turned out we would learn a lot from them. Verner and Rosemary, German speakers from Switzerland gave us a lot of wisdom on how to make the best of our van as well as to remind us just how good these Ivecos are for overland travel and how pleased they are to own one of these rare vans.

Ping of course was still wracked with ‘van envy’(you may know from Top Gear that on all their expeditions there is always a back up car lurking in the backround , usually a VW beetle. Well for ping there is always a little green campervan that sits on her shoulder) from her conducted tour of the Winnebago.

dinner with Verner and Rosemary

We had dinner with our new friends the next night. It was a lovely evening and we learned so much about overlanding and perhaps most important we sort of re learnt a bit about why we do it. We were both getting to feel that we had lost some of our purpose. It is self reliance, problem solving following the path less travelled and most important the people you meet along the way. This meeting being a case in point.

The next day we had to leave and cut short some of our plans as Ping had been notified that if we could get there in the next 48hours we could have a conducted tour of the famous European Southern Observatory. She was very excited. It has meant that we had to leave the next morning to travel some 350km across the desert  to get there in time.

Just the two of us

This might not sound so complicated, but the next morning we simply had to take photos of the two vans together. We bid farewell to our new friends and off we went.

First , however we had to refuel. Research showed us that here is only one filling station in this town.  The town is quite difficult to get around as the roads are poor an unpaved, many of them are part of a one way grid. Unfortunately our Satnav shows us a route but does not show which roads point in our direction. We have spent the last 4 months trying to annoy the natives here, but they won’t be riled. Until, that is, you go the wrong way in a one way street! It is really strange but helpful easy going Chileans get right out of their pram if you go the wrong way in a one way street! People come out of shops shaking their fists, sometimes a face of an enraged pedestrian will appear in the window pointing out the error of our ways in incomprehensible Spanish. Their ire does not seem to be related to any kind of inconvenience caused, often there are no other cars to worry about.

So we were now traumatised, hot and rather lost looking for the filling station. Our satnav told us ‘You have arrived’ but no sign. We were turning around in the grounds of a hotel when we finally came to realise that hidden deep inside the grounds of  the  hotel was our filling station.

finally we arrive at the hidden filling station

It did make us a bit late. We set off to cross the Atacama desert. At first it was very lovely. On a scale 1-10 of incredibleness it scored around 11 but as we progressed into the Mining areas the scenery started to change dramatically. 


We saw huge hills that were methodically stripped bare by open cast mining. An increasingly industrial scene developed, and on a massive scale. I do not want to sound like I am complaining that its not beautiful anymore as I really find it interesting. I also know that Chile gets its security from natural resources such as copper  and perhaps more surprisingly from salt production. Massive trucks have replaced tourist buses on the road. Many of them, rather alarmingly carrying Sulphuric acid in large quantities.

Hard to know what to make of this

or this

Abandoned living quarters from disused mines.

Another change is that the ubiquitous shrines to dead motorists that are at the side of the roads in South America. These have changed to celebrate deceased miners and construction workers. Normally I do not care to photograph these memorials  but one in particular struck me as poignant as it was decorated with two construction workers hard hats and childrens toys. We saw another that had about 20-30 hard hats laid out in a kind of parade. It all seems rather Mawkish to me, but it really is not for me to say.

The industrial scene of Antafagasta

I do not know what this is but it is huge and it rotates

Another feature are the huge and endless processing plants and the mines themselves  I was specially taken with the top security yards housing large piles of bright green copper ore.

Having arrived on the Eastern Pacific side of  the Atacama desert. We had just had quite a long  drive to get here in time for  our appointed tour of the European Southern Observatory.

Rail trucks dwarfed by the plant they serve

On this long straight  road it hard to guess how this van seems to have overturned more than once on this 

On this section we had to stop at the town of Calama. Mainly because we had to get a fair bit of shopping. There is a very large supermarket there. However we had read many warnings about how foreign cars are targeted by thieves in the car park. Often under the watchful gaze of the security guards.

We pulled into the car park and I had to sit in the van while the boss went shopping. It was likely to be a long sitting, but ok.

I was extra vigilant  as I stood guard on all our worldly goods. Checking out all the likely ‘ne,er do wells’. My loins were girded, whatever that means. I was on high alert. Ready for all comers, a trained killer ready to pounce! As it turned out it was the day of rest for ne,er do wells, there was no one but mums with prams and Toyotas with M+F+2.3 in tow. I have to admit to being rather disappointed, but not to worry suddenly there was a commotion out on the main road. Horns blaring, much shouting and a lot of excitement. 

circus truck + glamour girl

As the circus went past! Lots of  music and heavily decorated trucks each with a glamour girl draped over the bonnet. And then they were gone! That was about the some total of my excitement for the day. Then back she came with the shopping, back to reality dashing my day dream of running away to be a lion tamer or a trapeze artist.

Then shopping done it was back to the desert and onto the town with the really special name Antafogasta!

We decided that we should move on a bit further before night. The observatory is about 90 km form the city so we moved on and spent the night at a petrol station, though not a particularly nice one. I should say that from the point around Calama  the desert scene changes quite dramatically as we enter the mining region. And the whole vista takes on a picture of real heavy industry. Around here copper is king along with salt and other minerals.                   

Night falls as we sleep at the rather grim petrol station

As I write we are settling down for the night in a slightly grim and dusty filling station. As I look out down the hill I see a massive dusty industrial vista that seems to go on for ever. 

Huge trucks constantly barrelling through the night and rather strangely a stray dog is in residence here He evidently sees his role is to constantly chase every car out of the forecourt. He seems to be truly tireless. Not to say rather pointless.

The Iron penguin

Even more incongruous is the large iron penguin standing at the side of the road outside a tyre shop for no apparent reason.

As we get down closer to sea level the headaches have gone and we can breathe again.

Oh by the way our suction cups have dropped off again, despite my cunning plan that if we stuck them on at high altitude they should stick forever.

Tomorrow we go  to the Observatory.