LA SERENA, CHILE:

There are cities and towns around the world that as soon as you enter, from the beginning you know it just feels right. Something about this city feels warm, friendly and you really want to stay and explore this city. When I came to the end of Atacama Desert I can clearly see how the landscape was changing rapidly. It was getting greener, now, there were trees and bushes more houses, more stores, more traffic and more people. All of a sudden there were no sand, no desert and I was also getting closer to the Pacific Ocean once more. The minute I saw the ocean, the minute I realized the Atacama came to the end.

There was a smile on my face for completing this indispensable Atacama Desert safely. But at the same time, I knew I was going to miss this desert which was full of adventure out in the open middle of nowhere. I knew La Serena was on my way down south, but north of capital city Santiago and later south to Patagonia through the city of Puerto (Port) Montt. I was really excited to look forward to new adventures after the intense coastline and Sechura Desert in Peru, Pacific coastline cities of Chile and Atacama Desert. But seriously, up until that time, as knowledgably as I was about the world geography, I’ve never heard of the city of La Serena.

                 My bicycle made it all the way down to La Serena

                     La Serena, city center area. Shopping district.

  As soon as I got in to this beautiful city, everything just felt right. That was the time; I knew there was something about La Serena is unexplainable. And that is the truth! There are times we know so much is happening at a place, but yet, it’s very hard to pin point accurately what the main reason is. Of course the main reason itself had a good reason. And that has a lot to do with what this city really offered? When you have an answer for this question then you found the reason! But La Serena didn’t just have one answer and instead, it had so many answers why it’s too cute to be left on the side or forgotten.

From the moment I entered into La Serena, I fell in love with the shape and the architecture of the buildings. After all, this city was the second oldest city in Chile after the capital city of Santiago. Whenever a city is that old, it’s bound to have the type of architecture which will capture your attention. It is easy to see the colonial style houses at the city center. Stone churches, old houses and craft markets and neocolonial architecture will play a major role with your mind. Despite the other European country’s influence, it’s mainly Spain we notice who really influenced the architecture in La Serena. La Serena’s historical main section architecture bell towers of Colonial Stone churches show us beautiful Spanish architecture. Just touring this city with my bicycle several times over and over gave me such a pleasure that I never wanted to stop cycle la Serena.

      On a hazy day,  The view from Tololo Beach, La Serena to  city of Coquimbo

              Ocean front condominiums on Avenida  Del Mar and the view from Faro Monumental. Hazy and cloudy day.

   La Serena’s beauty doesn’t just come from its architecture! It has a pleasant weather year around and its white sand beaches everywhere around the city which will connect you to the city of Coquimbo. Its famous university is the main reason that city is full of youngsters. There are so many beaches in this city that you would chose a different one every day. During the months of January and February this city becomes very famous which fills up with tourists from everywhere. I was actually happy that I was there in early December. There are times I do enjoy being around crowd and socialize with other people from different nations. But looking at some of the photos and watching some of the films from recent years of La Serena during the months of January and February, really scared me. It was a type of crowd which was too much. I mean I don’t think you would be able to walk by the beach between those crowds. I said to myself wow! During the summer, La Serena is a famous spot! In recent years, most of the visitors and tourists who come to La Serena usually looking for sun, relaxation and good food. And they made the right decision, because La Serena got them all. This city has that amazing laid-back feel. Hahaha. I was just happy it was still early in December. Many people don’t realize that January and February is part of the summer of countries which are located at Southern Hemisphere. So, La Serena was just about to get into the summer months. The city center was completely away and separated itself from the beach front activities and residential areas. The residential areas of La Serena did not squeeze most of its population in a narrow land like some of the other cities do; instead it was well spread around. This city was planned excellent! In the past I studied political science and history, but I also loved the subject of urban planning. Ever since 1980 s whenever I enter a new city, my eyes closely examines the buildings, streets, houses, business and residential areas like a good detective who is looking for evidence on urban planning. In La Serena, most of the time, at least 6 times a day, I cycled between the beaches and city center. I would usually use and take the Francisco de Aguirre road. Beach front began right after the Lighthouse Monumental La Serena. I stayed in La Serena three days and during those three days, I stopped at this café right behind this lighthouse at least twice a day. It just had the best view to the sea shore towards south to the city of Coquimbo and of course this café had some of the most delicious fresh sea food and some of the best dessert and coffee. I couldn’t help, but get lazy at this outdoor café sitting hours at a time watching this magnificent view, having a conversation with local people and enjoying the long rest after getting through with the long cycling adventure at the endless Atacama Desert. My both leg muscles were talking to me and telling me “thank you Thank you for resting”

                                 Lighthouse Monumental La Serena

           Another shot at a Lighthouse Monumental La Serena from a different angle.

    There is a beautiful seashore road Avenida Del Mar and a bicycle path from La Serena to the city of Coquimbo. There were many high rise condominiums on this road and sea front. Most of them had an incredible view to the Pacific Ocean and to the local beaches. These condominiums were very well built and designed cleverly to give the residents the best way of watching the entire area from their luxury balconies. I was really impressed the way they built La Serena. I found its people highly educated, talkative and friendly compare to some other cities of Chile. It kind of reminded me of city of Iquique.

  La Serena had so much going for it. It has one of the lowest crime rates at anywhere. I loved walking at the city center area. Streets were built nicely and the people of La Serena really kept these streets very clean. Because my bicycle was loaded with panniers and bags, I was just afraid to lock it up somewhere and walk away from it even just for a few seconds. I just didn’t want anyone stealing my belongings. Whenever, you’re on a bicycle tour of other countries, regions and continents, first thing first comes to your mind is your own safety, but second most important after your safety comes your bicycle and your belongings. Because without them, you just can’t survive for this type of tour and trip. So, I always had to walk the streets with my bicycle on my side. And the locals usually love looking at your bicycle. For them it was something different and nice. They just loved watching foreigners or outsiders traveling their country. This gave them a feeling pride and proud of their country.

                                         Cathedral La Serena

                           My bicycle enjoys resting in the front.

   The entire 3 days and night that I stayed in La Serena, 2 nights I slept at the Totoralillo beach camping with my tent. Totoralillo beach had everything including shower facilities which I used it 2 days in a row. And the last night before I left La Serena I slept at the city center out in the open on my thermarest and sleeping bag right behind a pizza shop next to a café. As I said earlier, La Serena was very safe and you can see many people walking on the streets during the night including teenagers. No one bothered anyone. It was perfect and it was great that there was hardly any crime in this city. Because I was going to leave La Serena very early and getting on the road with my bicycle by 4:30 in the morning to the direction of Santiago, I decided to sleep behind that pizza shop right around 11:00 at night. I locked my bicycle next to me, brushed my teeth and then opened my sleeping bag and began falling asleep. Approximately at 3:00 in the morning I was awakened by three policemen. They were all examining my mountain bicycle. I start smiling and they were smiling. One of them spoke very good English. First they asked my passport and Identification. I handed them my American Passport and a New York State Driver License. They looked they looked and they continue to look. I finally made a joke and told them “do you want me to make a copy of it and give it to you guys” They began laughing. Finally they start to talk. They asked me if I feel comfortable sleeping here and do I feel safe sleeping on the streets. I said, yes, I feel comfortable and I feel safe. They invited me to a café which was open 24 hours. I changed my clothing very quickly and we went to the café. We finally arrived to the café and these 3 policemen still couldn’t take their eyes off from my bicycle. They finally asked me about my mountain bicycle. I said it is Surly Troll mountain bicycle. It is very strong, well built, it can carry too much weight and it is excellent on the hills and on the mountains. Of course these policemen were really interested in my bicycle and my bicycle tour around South America. They loved my bicycle and couple of them rode it up to the end of the street and back. I was kind an upset a bit as I was almost going to ask them” why did you wake me up from my good sleep?” but I decided not to. I figured I will begin cycling early towards to Santiago. We had a long breakfast and long conversations. They were really cool guys. It was most likely, they were bored at night and they wanted to talk to someone and they decided to wake me up, Hahahaha I couldn’t help but laugh about it. And they bought my breakfast and my coffee. How nice of these policemen! 

                        Beach Front condominiums in La Serena 

                       My poor bicycle in La Serena recovering from Atacama Desert trip.

Now it was very early in the morning around 4:45 and still dark outside. I got onto my bicycle pulled out my mobile handheld GPS and looked at the route 5 start point from La Serena. I already knew the direction, but I wanted to double check and confirm it. I was ready to leave this beautiful city La Serena. I was on my way to Santiago and this capital city of Chile was on my mind! 

ATACAMA DESERT, CHILE:  CROSSING AND SURVIVING ATACAMA IN 14 DAYS: I LOVE YOU!

When I began this bicycle tour in Lima, Peru, South America, and heading all the way down to Patagonia, one of the first thing came into my mind was Atacama Desert. The route I was taking from Lima was Pan American Sur Highway and about 1400 km later getting into Chile where the Atacama Desert began. Of course that was the beginning right at the border Chilean city Arica 56 km from Tacna, Peru. When you leave the city of Arica towards down south the route-5 begins with the Atacama Desert together.

         Scorching Heat, Atacama Desert and my touring bicycle.

                  Atacama Desert and Middle of Nowhere.

    The biggest question on my mind was how long will it take to get to the end of this Atacama Desert? I knew after the Atacama Desert I had to follow the same route-5 to get down to capital city Santiago, Chile. There were so many unanswered questions about Atacama Desert. You can only get limited knowledge and information online about this desert. Besides, I wasn’t driving through this desert, but rather I was bicycling. I’ve heard some of the difficult conditions I had to go through. But seriously, I was ready both mentally and physically. Over the decades I’ve learned my body very well and I knew its limits, abilities and capabilities. I knew I can cope with hot weather and heat for a long time, I knew I can go without water days by blocking it out from my mind, and I also knew I had an amazing leg power which I was able to pedal for 18 or 20 hours a day or more than 200 kilometers a day. Long distance was my passion and I love cycling many hours days and nights. I’m neither a bicycle racer nor a speedster, but because my high level endurance and agility, I can pedal and go to far places for long time. And my body was able to take sufferings from hard road conditions or whatever was an obstacle on my way. I had one of the highest levels of tolerance against hardship both mentally and physically. Perhaps this began at a young age when I was a long distance runner both in secondary school and High school. That endurance still carried me all the way to this age and I’m so thankful I still have that ability to continue without stopping for a long distance and for a long time.

        This video is from my head cam on you tube. Entering into the region of  Chanaral.

      Amazing view to the Atacama Desert. You got a love this place no matter what the conditions are.

         Atacama Desert from my head cam again. It's a hot day.

   On my earlier blogs in regards to South America, especially Iquique and Antofagasta ones, I mentioned about the routes I took all the way down to Antofagasta, but now I had to get back to the route-5 again. Getting back to the route-5 wasn't hard at all. As I exited the city and outskirts of Antofagasta, I began climbing the hills and the mountains to find the route-28 which was going to connect me with route-5. I got my first taste of cycling against intense high winds on route-28 at Atacama Desert. I’ve been on a windy road before in several places around the world. But this wind was something else. It was a kind where you can’t pedal more than 4 kilometers an hour. Basically this wind was pushing me backwards and I wasn’t able to go as fast as I wanted to. It was frustrating for several hours which I only gained 20 kilometers if that. Later in the afternoon winds shift its directions and this time it was pushing me from behind. Actually under this condition you can speed pretty well. But unfortunately, because of the high winds at the Atacama Desert almost every day, it took me 14 days to pass this hardcore obstacle (Atacama Desert). I’m not sure how windy it is now, but when I was crossing it during the month of late November and early December it was very windy. Still, there were days it was calmed and winds were shifting to every direction.

                     Hot Desert Atacama! Where do you think you're going?

   After getting through the short route-28, I was on route-5 and now I was in the heartland of Atacama. Here, I would like to take attention of every reader to the regions and provinces. Country Chile is made of 15 regions and 54 provinces. And keep in mind that there is also a region called Atacama. But please do not mix this with the Atacama Desert. Atacama Desert is different and begins all the way from up north from different regions and comes down almost near to the city of La Serena. Here is the disagreement I have with many writers including Wikipedia in regards to distance of Atacama Desert. Wikipedia and others would like us to believe that Atacama Desert is 600 miles (1000 km) in distance. Because Wikipedia said it was 1000 km in distance, now everyone thinks and everyone writes it is 1000 km. However, they’re all mistaken the actual distance of this desert. And it’s important to mention that none of the Chilean writers mentioned anything about 1000 km. So how does and why do Wikipedia and others in the west continues to insists that Atacama Desert is only 1000 km long. I’ve used my bicycle odometer, I’ve used my handheld Garmin GPS, and I've talked to numerous policeman and police women, and talked to many Chilean citizens including the truck drivers which they showed me the end of this deserts near the city of La Serena (not quiet La Serena) if that is the case this Desert is 1375 kilometers which I measured it and calculated in three different ways. And all three ways were accurate. It was 1375 kilometers. Sure enough, local Chilean government officials, Highway police and truck drivers say the same thing. So, I neither understand nor believe the statistics or mathematics of the Wikipedia. Perhaps we have a disagreement where exactly this desert ends. And I really think that is where the problem lays. However, I have to go with trusted sources which were locals and my own calculation in 3 different ways. And all were accurate.

     This is the region of Atacama. It's still the Atacama Desert, but this is the region and not to be confused with the desert. Country Chile is divided into 15 regions. My bicycle is resting.

   Atacama Desert is very rich in sources like copper, minerals, metal, iron, gold, silver, sodium nitrate, potassium, boron and lithium as well as others. Basically Atacama Desert is the backbone of Chilean Governments income and its economy. Chile really depends on this area and its resources as most countries buy all these products from Chile. Chile is the largest copper producer in the world and it has the world’s 28% of the copper reserves.  Because this desert is located right at the edge of Tropic of Capricorn, there isn’t much difference between the winters and summers. Night time can drop to -25 C and day time can go up to 25 C to 50 C hot. The solar radiation is extremely high in Atacama Desert and one must bring sun glasses and use UV protection creams. This is the driest desert in the world and Atacama is known with its only 1mm rain drop for every 40 years. But it is also a fact that there were times it didn’t rain for 400 years in Atacama Desert. This is the main reason it’s known as driest desert in the world.

        When I got connected with route-5 again, I was out in the open at Atacama Desert with sun splash, high winds and scorching heat during the day, windy and extremely cold at nights. Perhaps I was traveling in wrong season, but it really didn’t matter, apart from high winds, I still loved every minute of these conditions. I was actually smiling and looking forward to cycle the entire desert. Besides, I still have other cities, Santiago and Patagonia ahead deep down south. The hard part of this trip at the desert was actually this section I was just getting into. As I said this was middle of nowhere. There were no supermarkets, no fuel stations and no houses or villages for long distance. In the beginning I had no idea that villages, fuel stations, restaurants or even truck stops were this far from each other.

         Late afternoon hours at the Atacama Desert. Still Hot!

   Since I was cycling South America, and not driving a car, I carried at least three big bottles of water with me at all times. And usually I left them in my panniers as spares. And I would buy extra water to drink without touching those 3 big bottles. And mostly I would shop at the super market carrying raw food: Tomatoes, cheese, bread, olives, other vegetables and fruits. Most of the time I ate at the side of the road during the day while cycling. But at nights, I was at the restaurants trying out local dishes, cuisine and their cooked food. I enjoyed getting to know every country’s dishes and trying something new every time I traveled. But now this section of the Atacama Desert was about to change things around and make this journey super hard for me. I welcomed this challenge first night as I cycled I couldn’t find any store or restaurants open. First time I had to eat out next to my tent since I began to this South America tour. But the real problem was waiting for me the very next day as I didn’t have anything else to eat. Basically there was no more food left in my bags or panniers. I still had some water left, but even that was running low. That morning I woke up in my tent around 7:00 in the morning. I ate my last tomato and cheese sandwich that I made and drank half of the last bottle of water. After a 10 minute warm up exercises I packed my bicycle with panniers again and got on the road. Even it was early in the day, still, I was sweating already from cycling the stiff hills and canyons of Atacama Desert.  Cycling the hills and mountains always made you thirstier and hungrier. It was really intense how quickly you lose calories from this type of road and from an intense hot weather conditions. However, I was still able to block this situation from my mind psychologically and I wasn’t even thinking of water or food yet. But I knew soon or later I had to face to the reality and look for these surviving necessities. I cycled hard all day and still, I didn’t see any fuel stations, any houses, or any super markets.

         Basically there was no more food and water for me for at least till tomorrow morning. But because I am an optimistic and positive person, I decided to cycle and ride my bike until late at night. I said “maybe something will show up later…restaurant or a supermarket”. But I was wrong! I continue to cycle and hoping to find some place open, I lost track of the time and forgot what time of the night it was. I just didn’t realize it was 4:00 in the morning and here I was still pedaling and cycling like a maniac. I finally realized from hunger and thirst and freezing cold at night. My t-shirts were all wet from sweating which was even making me feel colder and my body was losing its temperatures so quick. I began to shiver, shake and I was getting the chills. It was time to stop. There was still nothing around. Not even a house. And at nights, hardly anyone drives in Chile. I was all alone on route-5 at the heartland of Atacama Desert.

   I set up my tent quickly at the side of the road out in the open. Since I was in desert out in the open wide, there were no trees to hide your tent from passers. Most of the times there were hills which I was able to hide and set my tent stealth. But not this time! I was at a flat section and nowhere to hide. I really didn’t care and I continue to set up my tent. I took all the panniers from my bicycle and placed them inside the tent; I took the front tire off my bicycle and placed the bicycle in the tent. And then I changed my wet T-shirts. Wearing a dry shirt made me more comfortable as I set my therma rest air cushion and opened up my 0- Fahrenheit sleeping bag. Just like that in 3 minutes, I was in my tent and in a sleeping bag ready to sleep. Of course I was very hungry and it was very hard to fall asleep. However, because it was already 4:00 in the morning, I knew it was going to be light soon. And because of my tent’s location was out in the open I wanted to wake up in a few hours and get on the road before someone stops by my tent and attempts to steal or do something else. I set up my alarm to 7:00 which was going to give me a three hours sleep then move on again and hope to find an open supermarket or fuel station or a restaurant. Because of tiredness, I fell asleep after awhile forgetting that I was very hungry.

   In the morning at 7:00 my alarm woke me up, but I still laid there to enjoy my sleep for 10 more minutes. However, I wasn’t comfortable enough to sleep more as I was really hungry and starving. And now I had no more water left. It was like desperation. I knew I had to come up with new ideas to find something to eat. And if I can’t find anything open to buy food and water, what was my next move? I finally decided that as I would cycle, I would look back at the flowing traffic and stop some of the long haul trucks to ask them to see if they had anything extra to drink or eat. After packing my bags, panniers and my tent, I was on the road again cycling. Right around 11:00 in the morning, I finally stopped and waited for the passing trucks and cars. I began showing and pointing out my empty water bottle to drivers as they passed by me. This continued for 30 to 40 minutes and finally this huge truck stopped. He knew I was in trouble by looking at my empty water bottle. When he stopped I ran towards the truck. And he opened the driver side of the door. Before I even said anything, he had two big bottles water on his hand and came outside of his truck. Of course I try to explain him about how thirsty I was, but he couldn’t understand English. So I try talking Spanish which I knew little. As soon as he handed one of the bottles to me I drank that so fast that he was just staring at my face. That bottle was finished in a matter of seconds. He then gave me the other water bottle and he also brought an orange juice bottle. I was very thankful. He said next town was still 140 kilometers away. This driver (Raul) was a great guy and very helpful. I couldn’t thank him enough. I wanted to pay him as I pulled out my wallet, but he just wouldn’t accept my money. He just didn’t have any food with him. After talking to him for 10 minutes, he had to depart and I got onto the road again cycling and not knowing where I was going to eat. I was very hungry! Yes, water and orange juice definitely gave me energy to continue, but still, I hadn’t eaten since 2 days and I was starving.

    I continued cycling on this hot day having a half bottle of water and a half bottle of orange juice. It was around 12:30 in the afternoon I looked ahead and at the side of the road I saw some construction crew and heavy equipments. I finally stopped! I was going to ask them if they had any food. I just have to admit that here I was in the middle of nowhere at the Atacama Desert and I was about to meet nicest people of the world. There were 8 construction workers who were working on their heavy equipments and getting ready to do something, but when they saw me coming at them with my bicycle, they all stopped and they began walking towards me as I left my bicycle leaning against one of the heavy machine.

  I asked them if they speak any English and their supervisor said yes, I finally explained them that I just didn’t see any super markets, fuel stations or any open store to buy any food. He told me that “yes there isn’t anything between these cities and stretch” And then he asked me if I was hungry, I said yes, then all these guys brought their lunch bags to me and offering their own lunches and foods. I just couldn’t believe these guys…how nice and how great they were. I said, no, I can’t take everyone’s food. They keep insisting to take all the food. I said I can’t do it. We finally sat down and had lunch all together. These guys were all young men in their twenties and early thirties and they had an amazing respect and manners. Their supervisor Jonnathan Quiroz, whom I still keep in touch with, is an angel and one of the best characters I’ve met around the world. I just couldn’t explain and describe how good and helpful these guys were. It just shows you, nationality doesn’t matter we still have good people around the world. These guys were also working at a mining place. As mentioned earlier Atacama Desert has the most resources and minerals, or else why would they be working at this location.

    After spending a few hours with these nice people, I got on the road again. And now I had enough water and food with me to last me a several days. That following evening I slept very comfortable and very well. I realized how terrible it was to be hungry and thirsty. We as human beings forget how some of the basic things are the most important things are. And just thinking about how millions of people around the world at times go very hungry for a long time. It is just sick and sad to think how these governments of the world spend billions and trillions on military spending to kill each other, yet, there are also millions dying from hunger. Just even thinking about it can make anyone sick and upset. The very next day when I woke up I realized I had been away from civilization for several days and I needed a shower. But as I cycled my face and my arm was itching. Then I just looked to find out my skin was peeling from the heat. And the next day my legs were peeling as well. This was first time in my life my skin was peeling since my childhood. My olive skin is usually very used to the heat and the sun and I can never remember it peel in the past. But it took me a good hour to realize I was in Southern Hemisphere where sun is extremely strong and its effect is twice worse. As I talked earlier, the solar radiation is so high in the ultraviolet spectrum making it must use UV protection creams. Every time I looked at mirror I just couldn’t believe how dark I got. Closest I came to as dark as this was in, Kununurra, Australia years ago. This was the tropical section which was the north-west part of Australia called Kimberley. And now, in South America in the desert, this was the darkest I got in my entire life and sure funny enough, I just couldn’t believe my own skin.

    From the start of Atacama Desert in Chile’s northern border with Peru, then down to bigger and important cities and towns Iquique, Tocopilla, Antofagasta, Chanaral, Caldera, Copiapo, Vallenar and more down south La Serena. But when you are in La Serena that means you’re clearly out of Atacama Desert. Now, these towns and cities are the main ones on the route-5 and route-1 that I took. Never mind the town of Taltal as it is out of the way. However, there are some other little villages and other towns if you do take the route-5 without switching to route-1. The most dangerous area is between cities of Antofagasta and Chanaral. This is the stretch where there is hardly anything. There are no super markets, fuel stations or restaurants. If you’re lucky, you may find a little house which is being used for as truck stop by a family who cooks and serves for their income. But other than that, that stretch is not a joke. This stretch is in middle of nowhere and it is without any civilization. But I kind a like it. By the time I got into the town of Chanaral, I was extremely tired and instead of camping, I decided to stay at a hostel and got myself a private room with bathroom. I stayed in Chanaral 2 days resting very well and swimming during the day by near a beautiful beach. Of course I still had a long way to go at Atacama Desert.

  By the time I was done with Atacama Desert my bicycle odometer readings showed 2,842 km. Of course this was the reading all the way from Lima, Peru. And the Atacama Desert from one end to another showed 1378 km. I was very happy to finish this desert and despite the skin peeling, still, I came out of Atacama Desert extremely dark. One of the most memorable times around the Atacama Desert came in the city of Caldera. I arrived to this city about 11:00 at night and none of the hostels or motels were open. And there were no place to camp. So I decided to sleep behind this huge Cathedral. But this time I didn’t use my tent. Instead, I opened my sleeping bag and of course my therma rest air bed under neat the sleeping bag. I locked my bicycle next to me on an iron bar door and took the valuable items in a secure place. I fell asleep about midnight and next thing I know something was licking my face. This was around 5:30 in the morning. I was afraid to open my eyes, but when I opened my eyes, there were up to 13 or 15 stray dogs standing over me and begging for a food. I had two loafs of bread and I slowly opened them from its bags then breaking both breads to a small pieces and began feeding these 13 hungry stray dogs. They were amazing and they had so much respect and manners. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Peru and Chile has a huge problem with stray dog population. And these dogs are very where. There were many times these stray dogs chased me on a bicycle almost in every city and every town and between in a country side. But I love them and whenever I get a chance I play with them. The strange thing about these 13 dogs in Caldera, they followed me to everywhere I went that day. I was taking photos and doing some filming and these stray dogs never left me alone. And they protected my bicycle while I was at the café having a breakfast. They were all lying down around my bicycle. That late afternoon, before I took off from Caldera, I fed these dogs one more time. Then I was on the road again. At Atacama Desert I’ve seen the shining sun every day; I felt the heat every moment of the day. I felt the extreme cold every night, I experienced the hunger and being extreme thirsty almost to the danger zone. I felt the heavy-high winds that I can only cycle and pedal 4 kilometers an hour. My entire body at this desert went into changing and different modes constantly almost every day. I’ve met some of the nicest people in this desert and despite the hard and intense 14 days in this desert, I still loved it and enjoyed every min ute of it.                         “Atacama I love you”

ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE: THE CITY CAN DO!

There aren't only a few words can describe this beautiful port city, but rather so many words even not enough to say about Antofagasta. This city has long and broad sea strip, it has the presence of Atacama Desert and the coastal mountain range which really killed me while cycling in and out of this fabulous city. It has Chile’s one of the busiest port and this city is surrounded by the mineral-rich Atacama Desert plateau which took me 14 days to cross with my bicycle. Because of the 19^th century mining boom, especially the nitrate mines which brought so much profit for the region. This mining boom also brought so many European settlers to Antofagasta. And today anyone who is visiting this city clearly can see the European feel in its creative architecture. If you really want to see this city’s remarkable history and its mining boom, then one has to visit Museum Regional and its amazing exhibits. As I mentioned on my earlier blog, it is also worth to mention it here that Antofagasta used to be a Bolivian city. But after the War of Pacific, Chile invaded, took control and added Antofagasta to its new map.

                    Sea Strip which is a 20 km stretch north to south

    

                      Antofagasta's famous and Chile's one of the busiest port

       Cool and a breezy day in Antofagasta, Chile. High rise sea strip continues.

This city also has a 20 km beachfront which developed a year round beach resort. And who can forget Portada, a huge rock located north of the city and the sea has eroded into a dramatic natural arch. Some of the best beaches of Antofagasta include La Isla Santa Maria, Juan Lopez and the remarkable Mejilonnes. This city is one of the most expensive cities in Chile, but yet, at the same time, it has the highest GDP per capita in Chile.

                      Antofagasta, Chile. City that works very hard.

Antofagasta and its region completely dependent on its mining activities copper, nitrate, and iodine and of course its busy port. Good economy also brought an intense construction business region for its fast steady growth and development. Just cycling one end to another end north to south and cycling city center as well as west to east showed me clearly an amazing new building and lots of high rise condominiums as well as offices. But most of the high rise buildings were located at the sea shore from north to south. They were in ocean front with a beautiful view to Pacific Ocean and city’s port. On this road north to south sea strip is about 20 kilometers and they even had a bicycle path. As I cycled this 20 kilometer stretch I enjoyed the view both to these high rises and to the Pacific Ocean.

               City tour from my head cam. Antofagasta video.

City center area and its building were much older than those new build high rises by the sea shore. My eyes easily identified the European architecture at the center area. People were friendly, talkative and extremely lively. Energy was definitely visible at faces of people. As usual, like any other place I visit or pass by, I always talk to many locals and made a few friends. Of course this always helped me to get to know the city better as the locals gave me many different useful inside information about the city. Over the years as I traveled many continents, cities, towns, villages and regions, one thing I learned: Make contact with locals. And no matter how much information you read about the place you were traveling to, still, getting inside information and inputs of locals were more useful and better.

                              Antofagasta city center shopping district

                      Antofagasta, Chile city center area.

                         Fresh fruit everywhere in Antofagasta

                        Antofagasta newsstand and its papers

     When I left the city of Iquique earlier, on the way to Antofagasta, I still followed the route-1 and passed by another Pacific Ocean Chilean port city Tocopilla. Of course all these wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t switch the routes from route-5 to route-1 by using the route-16. The main reason I am giving out this information to readers just to let them know that as you begin traveling from Peru and Chile border city of Arica, you enter into the Atacama Desert and you travel on the route-5. Whether you’re traveling with car or bicycle as I was, it’s better to switch to route-1 later to see these beautiful three Chilean  Pacific Port cities. It is really worth it. All three cities are nice and I strongly recommend for anyone to visit them. And later after you pass and exit the city of Antofagasta, you will have to take route-28 to connect with route-5 again. As I was cycling and on the way to Santiago then down to Patagonia, I had no other choice but take the route-5 again. But this route-5 will take you back into the Atacama Desert again and right after Antofagasta and after entering back into route-5 (Atacama Desert) will start a huge nightmare for bicyclists. The reason is obvious: middle of nowhere and the distance to find food and water is far away. My next blog will cover the survivability for water and food in the desert, as I had no idea there were no towns or villages between. I wasn't the only one in trouble. Three Swiss motorcyclists were looking for a fuel (gas) station as they were running very low on fuel. Adventures of driest desert in the world Atacama was about to begin. My next blog is all about Atacama Desert.

            Atacama Desert, Chile.  Killer conditions.

IQUIQUE, CHILE: A CITY WITH AN OPEN MIND.

             Atacama Desert begins right at the Chile-Peru border and heads down south.  The road comes down all the way to Santiago is Route-5 (Ruta CH 5) While I was cycling down south from Lima, Peru, at times, I was also looking at the map. And there was a question I always asked to myself” what about the Route-1 which later begins at the shorelines of Pacific Ocean and crosses 3 port cities of Chile? Should I continue on route-5 and just ignore these three beautiful cities without stopping by? The only hard thing to do was after coming down south on route-5, take the route 16 and switch to the coastline route-1. This was only 50+kilometers route to get onto route one. If anyone really looks at the Google Map, then one can see clearly the route-5, then later route16 which connect you to the coastline route-1. Basically on route-5 down south when you see Humberstone town area, you will see the junction 16. You’ll take that route to west to the coastline.

       Route-5 began in Arica. As I left Arica cycling in a hurry finding the route-5 then pedaling hard out of the city limits, I was still thinking and asking to myself what really I should do about route-1 later? I finally decided to change the routes later when I get to the route 16. I really wanted to see the cities of Iquique, Tocopilla and Antofagasta. They were on my mind. And this route-1 was following the coastline of Pacific Ocean which I was a fan of it since I left Lima, Peru. Pacific Ocean had one of the best coastlines through Peru and Chile. Ocean color was clear blue and the water was pure clean. Despite some parts of the coastline rocky in both countries, still, these both countries and its coastline had miles and miles sandy beaches as well. It always made me wonder why the Chilean government never builds a road straight down from Arica to Iquique following the coastline. Was it because of the landscape? Was it because of rocks, stones and hills? Military secrets? Or is it just plain hard and impossible to prepare this area for a road? We may never know the answer, but instead of taking the route-5 all the way inland following the canyons of Atacama Desert, coastline would have been much better. Later down south, everyone have to switch back to route-5 anyways as route 1 ends.

     Starting to cycle at Atacama Desert right after the city of Arica wasn’t easy at all. Route-5 all of a sudden began climbing and the altitude began getting higher. I will get into the subject of Atacama Desert with details in a later blog; however, it’s important to mention about Atacama, at times to let everyone know that this desert wasn’t flat. There were so many hills, mountains, and canyons. Actually it is bicyclist’s nightmare! It just wasn’t easy at all. It took forever to climb up to some of these hills and mountains. Up and down, up and down was the rhythm of the music I was playing every day.  And did I mention about the weather? Day time is in the 80s F and the night time is in 30s F extremely windy. Amazing and an intense temperature drop between day and night. And it is always windy until 4:00 PM in the afternoon. Then it gets better. This is also where I learned to carry lots of water and food with me. But it really didn’t matter: I was still running out of water and food. There weren’t any stores or houses you can go knock on the door. Of course this wasn’t a problem until I pass the city of Antofagasta later where hundreds of kilometers there is nothing, which I will come to it when I switch to a new blog Atacama Desert.

    After several days of pedaling hard and losing lots of weight, I finally arrived to the junction where the route-16 was separating to the west and connecting to the city of Iquique. I was very excited to arrive to a seashore city which I was really looking forward to swimming and resting. The minute I thought I can get comfortable, I found out the hard way. As soon as I turned to the right toward the west on route 16, I was up against a wind…I’m not sure how to describe or explain its power. Basically all of a sudden my speed dropped to 4 km an hour. I could have walked faster than that. For at least 30 km I was cycling extremely slow and hardly gaining any kilometers. Finally as I turned a bit to south-west, wind began to shift direction and it started to push me from back. Now, I was smiling and feeling much better. Anyways, that same afternoon at around d 5:30 I arrived to this beautiful city Iquique. The way to approach this city was from the top of the mountain coming down for at least 30 minutes on a bicycle at speed of 60 km an hour. Yes, those who watched my you tube video can easily tell about the speed from my head cam camera which you can play this video right here.

   Iquique really got my attention from the beginning. I think it had a lot to do with its population. Highly educated, able to speak other languages, friendly and outgoing population was in Iquique indeed! Over the years, from traveling to many different countries, experiencing many different cultures, meeting with thousands of people from all kinds of background, gave me an advantage to be able to tell the difference about people, cities, towns and countries as well. It wasn’t that hard at all to see the difference clearly in Iquique. Finally it was great to speak English to locals and understand the place better. My terrible Spanish was also getting better.  At least I was still trying to learn the Spanish language and I wasn’t afraid to get into conversation. But here in Iquique, locals were really into learning English and they always wanted to speak, get into conversation and use their knowledge what they learned from their university.

    City center and central area where people shopped, dined, used necessary government facilities or made payments to certain offices were all so closer to each other. Sidewalks were so crowded that at times I really had a hard time or stop completely for a few minutes as I was walking with my bicycle. It was a never ending crowd which people walking back and forth in every direction. In a way, it was great to see a lively crowd who were really into shopping or doing whatever necessary for them. Most of the youngsters were on a line at the ice cream shops. I just couldn’t count the numbers of ice cream shops. There were so many in every street multiple and competing against one other. Weather was perfect! Not cool and not too hot, just comfortable enough to wear sandals, shorts and short sleeves which I really enjoyed after cycling the Atacama Desert heat. Of course Atacama Desert wasn’t ending yet; actually it was just beginning which took me 14 full days and nights to cross it. Not to mention the difficulty I had with high winds and finding food and water in middle of nowhere. But for now, I was enjoying the city of Iquique.

My first night in Iquique, I stayed at the beach camping out in the open. No one bothered me including the police. In fact I was extremely tired from cycling against that wind that I really didn’t care what happened at the beach. I set up my tent, took all my panniers and bags off my bicycle including my bicycle and brought them back into the tent. I always had to take the front tire off to be able to take my bicycle into the tent. My tent was spacious enough to sleep two with all the gears I was carrying. But tent itself designed for only one person. It was extremely water proof and had two doors. I loved that tent as it served me in an excellent way which made me survive fanatic weather in Patagonia later weeks. My second night locals invited me to stay at their house. I met these several students at a café while I was using this café’s WI-FI internet access to get connected with friends. Ricardo and his friends were really interested in talking English. So we did all afternoon and all night as we spent the entire afternoon at the café and the evening at this sea food restaurant. It was great meeting with them as they really gave me a historical background and knowledge about Iquique communities. We basically touched and talked about every subject related to Chile, politics and traveling which are a never ending subjects which also we love talking hours and hours. At the end of the night, late hours, I was getting ready to go back to set up my camping area again, but Ricardo and his roommate from university invited me to sleep over at their house. It was really nice of them to invite me over. But isn’t it strange or weird enough for people to invite others to their place to stay overnight which you just met? Well, for many people it may be strange. However, as an extreme traveler, for me, this wasn’t a strange or weird thing at all. Over the years, by traveling 96 countries, this type of invitation by others happened to me hundreds of times and I wasn’t a stranger to this type of behavior or hospitality. Actually, in reality this was an experience I had about people and their background which I learned from traveling. It was very easy for me to tell so much about them including their psychology or their stability no matter how they acted or pretended. There was no way of hiding it from me even if they were the best actors. I talk to you 30 minutes, I really know you. You can hide anything you want to hide. What you are hiding in inside of you, I already knew it. So there was no way for me to accept any invitation from unstable, psychologically disturb, person with bad intentions or a thief who was trying to lure you to his or her trap. I was always ready for these types of people. But I knew from the beginning that Ricardo and his roommate were super nice and they were completely clean minded who were trying to be hospitable as a host. And to the contrary, they were able to see my character and my personality easily as well. I’m one of those who show everything on his sleeves. Nothing is being hidden inside. All and everything is out in front. Anyways, the friendship I built with Ricardo and his roommate Veronica still continues up to this date. And in two weeks (March, 24, 2015) they’re coming to visit me in New York. This time I will be hosting them and let them stay at my place. I love that! What a great friendship we built by keeping in touch after I left Iquique.

   I really loved the city of Iquique and will always return there to spend more time in the future. But this route-1 wasn’t done yet. I was on my to another mysterious port city Antofagasta via the city of Tocopilla which was situated by the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Iquique and Antofagasta. I’ve heard so much about Antofagasta and I was looking forward to it

TACNA AND ARICA: PERU’S AND CHILE’S CUTE BORDER CITIES.

I had ridden and cycling more than 1300 kilometers and finally arriving to the last Peruvian city in the south before entering into the country of Chile. Since I left Lima, Peru, cycling all the way down here to Tacna city was a fantastic trip. I’ve gone through many Peruvian towns, cities, villages, Pacific Ocean and crossing Sechura Desert. And I was ready to enter into an intense Atacama Desert in Chile. I was very excited to discover about these two border cities Tacna and Arica. Here are two small size cities one is Peru’s most southern city and the other is Chile’s most northern city. They’re about 56 km away from each other. At least that is what my bicycle odometer read when I crossed the border in to Chile (37 km) and into Arica (58 km). It’s a great ride through the desert into Chile. 

           Passport control at the Peruvian side as you exit towards the Chilean Customs and Immigration was very fast and took only 10 minutes. However, as I came to the Chilean side, I didn't realize how this Passport control and Chilean Customs were going to be extremely slow. But after exiting from Peruvian customs and Passport control main problem was waiting for everyone who was crossing into Chile. I found Chilean Customs, Immigration officers and police very unorganized, slow, lazy and very bureaucratic compare the fast pace Peruvian service. Actually it was really disgusting and annoying to wait for 5 hours at the Chilean side just to go through a Passport and customs control. After staring at this lines for long time, I analysed and I looked at this disorganized and poorly managed border post and found where Chileans were making their mistakes, found why it was taking longer and found where the problem was. I called a policeman near me and explained nicely and showed him the difference, but he just ignored my suggestions and smiled at my face. Anyways, I hope in the future, Chileans can come up with better ways to move the crowd faster. Good Luck to them! 

          Both of these cities have an unforgettable history which Peru still feels bitter and upset in regards to losing the cities of Arica and Iquique to Chile which I will talk about Iquique later in a different blog, but first Tacna and Arica.  Before the War of Pacific (Guerra del Pacifico) 1879-1883 both cities Tacna and Arica belonged to Peru. And before the war, thousand of Italians who immigrated to Tacna, because of the great weather and various climates, they worked on successful production of wine and agriculture industry. Italians permanently stayed in Tacna and many of the Italian immigrants still kept their surnames up to this date.

Tacna city name originates from Quechua words “taka” which means “I hit this place” Quechua words came from Aymara people.  There are several evidences that suggests of an early culture which dates back more than 10,000 years. However, when we look at this area’s history we notice Spanish invaders arriving to this region in 1535. These invaders who belonged to Almagro expedition also organized to invade Chile. In 1500s Tacna was called Villa San Pedro de Tacna. Right around about in 1810, local patriots of Tacna city who were inspired by Argentineans’ declaration of independence from Spain, began to conspire. Francisco Antonia De Zela who started this movement against Spanish invaders became very successful. Once the Peruvian independence became real, patriotism and heroism of this city was recognized in May 26 1828. And Tacna was given the title of “Heroic City”

                                         Tacna Plaza de Armas , Southern, Peru   

                                               

                                      Tacna Cathedral, Peru.

But the problems of Tacna didn’t end there with independence. During the War of Pacific which was fought by Peru, Chile and Bolivia in 1880. After the Battle of Alto de la Alianza, Chilean military invaded Tacna, and remained there for 50 years. Despite the efforts and games from Chilean government to keep the city of Tacna, Peruvian Tacnecos kept their national pride and in 1929 after the agreements, Tacna was returned to Peru. Of course this Pacific War 1879-1883 cost Peru dearly which they lost the cities of Arica and Iquique to Chile. It is also worth to mention that Chile also invaded and took the city of Antofagasta from Bolivia. I’ve cycled all these Pacific cities which I will get into it on a later blog.

While I was in Tacna and in Arica, I talked to many local people at the cafes and the Pacific War of 1879 is a very sensitive subject for both nations, especially for Peruvians. I did my own research from both points of views not just one. It is really a touchy subject.

On the other hand, Arica is a port city also with an international airport, situated next to the Pacific Ocean and next to the Pan American Sur Highway which makes this city strategically very important trade city. When we look at its history, while Arica belonged to Peruvians, just like the city of Tacna, Arica was 

                       Peru- Chile Border from my headcam 

                    Arica, Chile from my headcam. City in the mornin g hours as I pedal my bicycle.

also conquered by Spaniards in 15^th Century. Because of the importance of the Bolivian Silver and its location, coming from Potosi (world largest silver mine) mining area to Arica’s main port, this city played a major role as a leading port for trading. Of course as I mentioned above, during the Pacific War Chile invaded both Arica and Tacna. And in 1929 with the Tacna-Arica compromise, Chile added Arica in to their territory.

                                Arica, Chile. City Center Area.

       I have to admit that both border cities Tacna and Arica were small size (but not that small) cities which were unique and cute in their own way offered so much. People were very friendly, helpful and extremely nice to outsiders who were traveling their cities. Both cities are paradise for budget travelers as food and lodging both are very reasonable and low price. I’ve found both cities very laidback, relaxing and just about everything is in walking distance. Both cities are designed very well for pedestrians, long distance walkers and of course bicyclists. Despite the fact they didn’t have bicycle roads, still, it was very safe to ride your bicycle on every road or street. I was one of the cyclists who greatly enjoyed both of these cities. Did I mention about their bakeries? Oh my god, they have some of the best bakery goods in both cities that I couldn’t resist. And every day I was there, I visited bakeries twice a day enjoying mostly sweets. Of course in my later blogs, I will touch the cities of Iquique and Antofagasta which is in Chile and part of the Atacama Desert. I just knew there was a huge unknown adventure was waiting for me in Chile.