Chile 2016

Monday21November

Here we are in Antofagasta, the last stop of the trip! Originally, we came here to easily visit the Paranal astronomical observatory. But since that's already done, we have two days to enjoy the city.

Tuesday22November

Plaza Colón and its "Big Ben" tower, a gift from the British colony to the city in 1911. It was named this way for the sound of its bell, which recalls the famous London landmark.

The square faces San Jose Cathedral, whose guardian is the statue of Bishop Luis Silva Lezaeta (1860-1929), a historical figure of the city.

A national historical monument since 1978, the Salitrero dock gets its name from the prosperous era of saltpeter (salitre in Spanish) exploitation, the common name for potassium nitrate.

An old galleon stands alongside small fishing boats.

The city stretches for 20 km along the Pacific, separated from the Atacama Desert by a mountain range.

A Belcher's gull (Larus belcheri) watches the comings and goings of the covered market where freshly arrived fish are sold.

A little further on, Playa Paraíso, a small makeshift beach. The tourism potential of Chile's 5th largest city is enormous, but it seems the city has not yet invested in this direction...

"Do not feed the sea lions"! It seems that South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) also come here to do their shopping!

Inside the large shopping mall, Mall Plaza, where the giant Christmas tree is already in place. Oh yes, it's still a little over a month away!...

The city overlooks Moreno Bay.

350,000 inhabitants enjoy the city's mild climate. Here, it's never very cold and never very hot; however, it practically never rains (not even 2 mm of water per year)...

The city reaches high up the mountain slopes. Here is Cerro del Ancla, with its anchor at its summit.

The bell tower of San Francisco Church dominates the north of the city center.

Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) in search of urban carrion... It is not uncommon to encounter this vulture; it frequents all environments of the American continent.

Steep, wide roads connect the mountains from the ocean.

Late this morning, the pedestrian streets are teeming with Chileans...

Lunch break with, for the last time of the trip, the country's typical specialty, cazuela, a meat and vegetable broth, the Chilean pot-au-feu!  

We resume our walk to head south of the city, still along Moreno Bay.

Huanchaca Cultural Park has also been classified as a National Historic Monument since 1974. These are the ruins of the old mining company where silver extracted from the Bolivian mines of Pulacayo was processed.

A desert museum is also present on site, notably featuring "Nomad", a NASA robot capable of moving and analyzing the soil completely autonomously. It was obviously tested in the Atacama Desert, with a terrain and climate similar to that of Mars, but it left its friends Spirit and Opportunity the chance to roll on the Martian soil...

The houses clinging to the mountain slopes seem to escape the architectural rules of the solid downtown buildings...

The marine anchor of Mount del Ancla, a clearly visible landmark from all over the city.

The city illuminated from Mall Plaza.

Wednesday23November

Last day of the trip! We have one morning left before flying to Santiago. So we enjoy a little swim in the Pacific from Playa Puntilla.

A little beard trim in this "barber truck"? No no, I'll be fine as is...  

Bus 121 takes us back to the hotel where we can pick up our luggage. Then, a driver takes us to the airport to reach Santiago de Chile. This will be followed by a 10-hour flight to Atlanta, an American stopover before returning to Europe.

So here we are in Atlanta in transit for almost the whole day. We decide to take the opportunity to visit the Coca-Cola museum. At least, that's what we thought because everything is closed, the city is completely deserted! But what's happening??? Oh yes... every fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving and the whole country stops working... Too bad!  

The Westin and Peachtree towers of Atlanta from Centennial Olympic Park.

And so, our four Chilean weeks come to an end here. It was certainly a minimum to be able to discover this immense country in all its latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes!  
See you soon for new adventures!