Iquique to San Pedro de Atacama

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Saluti...........

Sunday morning and am in San Pedro de Atacama.......where else on a Sunday morning late in November!!!!!

This place is incredible............firstly its 9.50am and temp in 90s.....but its a very dry heat.....I asked when the last time it rained and the hotel owner said four years ago!!!!!!!!!

Back to yesterday .....I set off with the hire car to visit the ghost towns of Iquique early in the morning.....these are former saltpetre towns which made the economy prosper from the 20s till the 60's when they were abandoned because they were uneconomic as atrificial fertilizers took over.

It took longer than I thought because I had to go across unmade roads in the middle of the desert, and at one time thought I had missed the towns and was lost.....but my trusty compasss came to the rescue!!! Then onto the most popular town of Humberstone which was next to the main Pan America highway, thank God!
This place was amazing with the swimming pool and theatre still intact due to the dry desert air ( see images )

Then back to Iquique for a late evening flight to Calama ......copper mining town in the desert......there were five of us!!!!!!......then problem .....the connecting bus to San Pedro had been cancelled.........shit!......had to wait around 3 hours for next bus which got me into San Pedro at midnight!!!!!

Hope all is well in UK......

speak soon

ciao

Mario

Takha Takha Hotel is brill.....mud brick rooms with wood furniture and petroglyphs on the wall .....very new age and earthy.......but now first major major problem.....the only thing I couldnt book from uk was bus to Argentina from San Pedro.....and of course it only runs 3 times a week and its full on tuesday.......so either leave tomorrow if I can get a place or stay till friday which will muck up all other plans..........

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