Advertisement
Published: April 11th 2012
Edit Blog Post
Here we are all back together in San Pedro de Atacama after some delays and abandoning Allan and Tony in Arica.
We had a great couple of days in Arequipa, spending our last night with Linton and Heather at a roof top Resturant above the plaza. Both Linton and Rosco making short work of a guinea pig ......
We farewelled Linton and Heather as we departed the hotel enroute to Arica in Chile. This is a big day with a major border crossing on the last day of the Easter holiday, so we knew it was going to be busy. The cars were all going great, as we dropped down towards sea level for the first time since leaving Copiapo a few weeks ago.
Somewhere in the wide desert expanse, we found ourselves alone - everyone had disappeared from our rear view mirror, so we stopped and waited for about fifteen minutes, still no-one, so we did a u turn and headed back. About 8kms back we spot a small dot of something on the side of the road, as we get closer, we see two little Citroenetta's appear out of the heat haze. We find Allan with
Real technical stuff
Fitting the new carby his bonnet up and tools spread around with some spare parts. It turns out that his petrol pump had failed, well of course you always carry a brand new one just in case, so it was a matter of swapping them over. All of this eats up over an hour out in the mid day sun. With all the tools, spare parts and bodies back in the cars we set off once again.
We travelled together for the next two to three hours and after a toll booth, we are missing Allan again, so we waited for the obligatory fifteen minutes and decided to go back. As we approached his car parked on the side of the road, we see his front left hand wheel is off the car, so we assume he had a puncture. But wait, there is more, it was not a puncture at all, it seemed that his wheel brearing is about to collapse!!
We decided that there was not much we could do there on the side of the road, so we agreed to try and make it into Arica, Chile, as that would be the best place to get it replaced. We
The Kiwis are here!
Tony and Melean enjoy the desert took it very easy, passing through Tacna, which is the last city as we leave Peru, the bearing was holding together so far so good.
The Border is a real pain as it usually is here, but more so this time with the amount of holiday people returning to Chile. It was nearly two hours to get through and continue onto Arica. It was now dark and we had lost two hours as we crossed into Chile, making it after nine pm when we got to our Hotel. We had a nice dinner and everyone just crashed until breakfast at 8 am (which would have been 6am in Peru!) I for one did not handle that well.
Anyway, after breakfast we started chasing a mechanic to fix Allan's car, after a bit of a run around, we got onto a guy who at least started to pull things apart, as far as we were concerned that was ' Commitment'. In the mean time we found a fellow that could weld my other shock bracket that we found had a crack, as we did in Puno, so a few Pesos later that was done.
Allan was now committed
to the repair, so the other 2 CV's began heading south to Iquique for the night, the plan being that Allan and Tony would make a double day and catch up with us in Calama or San Pedro if they had more trouble.
We arrived at Iquique around six pm after spending around two hours at Humberstone. The next mission for us was Zofri, the tax free shopping mall. We piled into a taxi after a quick shower and began our quest. For me I needed a new $20 watch, a Dakar T shirt and a tyre gauge. Well I managed the watch and the T shirt before the power went off!! We thought it was just the Mall, but we soon realised that it was the whole city!! Bugger as we hadn't eaten yet, Paul and Melean were bright enough to have done so before shopping, so they saved a fortune!! The lights went out as they paid the meal ticket.
We eventually got a cab back to the hotel, but it was very slow, as all the traffic lights were out with only emergency lighting on and in a few of the buildings. Bones and I
abandoned the taxi as we got closer to the hotel, to find a street vender with a gas cooker and or a generator where we could get something to eat. We finally found one of the happiest guys in Iquique that night and he happened to own a hot dog stand, so we joined the queue and eventually we enjoyed our hot dog in the shadows of the park. The power finally came back on, around 9.15 pm, section by section as the city came back to life.
Next morning, we were up and about looking forward to breakfast and run down the coast, then inland to Calama. We met a group of Brazilian bikers at breakfast and swapped stickers and stories. We headed down the coast, stopping for a picnic lunch on a wild rocky surf beach. The Bikers all rode past us here tooting and waving, as did many truckers and family vehicles. Our cars still attracting a lot of attention wherever we go and/or stop.
We finally found our hotel just after four pm, with Allan and Tony arriving around six, so now we are all back together and all as good as new. (Allan
even washed and polished Blurple for the occasion!)
We now have two nights here in San Pedro De Atacama in preparation for the next part of our adventure through Paso Sico and into Argentina for the last time.
So untill the next blog,
Un abrazo,
Rosco
Advertisement
Tot: 0.281s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 23; qc: 91; dbt: 0.151s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Dave DUIRS
non-member comment
Hi from NZ
You sure are having fun. Our short Peugeot 04 rally in Central NI going v well with great crews, awsome back country roads & amazing scenery with a lot of mandatory comfort stpos with locals in some real out back spot..........yeah right here in Central NI MILES from anywhere ha ha!! Enjoy yourselves to the full. Dave & Dorothy