The Rallye Dakar catching up with Me...

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Geo: -23.6413, -70.3994

or did I catch up with it?...Hmmh...not sure who got their first...The only thing I know is that right about 100km before Antofagasta I met a group of Germans with German registered cross bikes (huh...that must have been expensive to bring those all the way from Germany to Chile and back...why not just spend that money and buy a brand new one?)...

Those Germans told me that they are here only for the purpose of following the Rally Dakar from stop to stop...Cool idea, why not...As I was driving into Antofagasta I was welcomed by big ads on the roadside...Rallye Dakar Chile 2014...Holy crap...The major stop of the Rally was in Antofagasta just one day after my arrival...Interesting indeed to watch it in reality...


As I arrived in Antofagasta, Met up with the Germans for dinner since we stayed in hostels next to each other...They told me about the Mano del desierto (hand in the desert)...One major reason why they took that ride...Hopala...Did I miss something...How can I pass a 11 meters high standing sculpture in the middle of a flat desert plain?...Good question...I don't have an appropriate answer...

I stayed 2 weeks in Antofagasta...enough time to get to know the place well...2 weeks was not planned...I did plan 5 days but had to extend it, because I had to await my "registro nacional de vehículos motorizados" in order to be able to take the motorcycle over the border into Argentina.

Anyway, I was hangigng around with some nice crowds and as usual, Chilenas are easy to meet, yes, yes, Chilenos too...

My next destination was Iquique...I had two options, either go up onto highway 5 or simply keep going the more relaxing highway one along el pacifico...The choice was easy...off I went along the ocean...

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