Zelma’s Trip

Where we had camped was relatively close to Baquedano and we continued on the road into the town.  In the town itself there was a small museum which contained a really fascinating collection of antiquities.  I don´t really know how to describe it actually, there were things collected from the old mine houses with row upon rom of bottles, shoes, horse-shoes and the like all covered in a reassuringly thich layer of dust.  Also in the town was the old station, although we struggled to find it for a little while.  The place was amazing with a vast collection of old steam engines and carriages.  It was a photographer´s paradise with light streaming through gaps in old iron enginery.

From Baquedano we headed to Chacabuco, a disused mining town more recently used as a prison.  According to several guides it was a place where you were able to see what an old mining town looked like and see the art drawn on the walls from when the place was later used as a prison.  Unfortunately what none of the guides told us was that it was closed!  So we headed off and Dad found another old mining town on the map.  The old nitrate (saltpetre) town was fascinating with almost a Pompei typw feel to it.  The buildings were crumbling but intact enough to get the feel of the place down to painted decorations inside some of the house´s rooms.

We continued down Route 5 and then left the main road and headed through the mountains.  I keep saying how amazing the scenery and driving throgh Chile is but it really was.  We didn´t really realise how high up we were until we got towards the coast and had the most fantastic vista down both ways out across the Pacific.  The coastal road down to Taltal was fantastic and there was little of the typical Chilean coastal fog so there were spectacular views out to the ocean.

When we arrived at Taltal we headed to a set of Cabanas that I had seen an advert for in the guidebook.  At the office we were, somewhat unconvincingly, told that they were all fully booked until the following year!  So we heeaded further into town, via a rather uninspiring campsite.  In the town itself we found a seafront hosteleria which was very reasonable and in the most fantastic location.  We settled in and then went for dinner in the restaurant.  The seafood was absolutely out of this World and, as always in Chile, the wine was lovely.  We started with aperetifs which, again as always in Chile, were very strong.  If you buy a spirit here it´s not like buying a drink in England where someone carefully measures twenty five millilitres into your glass before drowning it in a mixture.  In Chile they liberally pour whichever spirit into your glass so that it´s around a fifty fifty mix with the mixer.  Thus meaning that the following drink is incredibly strong.  As Mum and Dad had coffee I decided it was a good idea to have a digestif and opted for a rum and coke.  So, nicely full and slightly sozzled Mum and I chatted on the terrace before heading to bed.