The Long Way Down, Up and Around: May 2011

Being back in Chile has been better and worse than I expected.

The minute I stopped at a COPEC - with its espresso machine, free wi-fi, and endless supply of 93, 95 and 97 octane gas - I felt both completely relieved and completely deflated. I was safe. But my adventure had just ended.

This part of the drive was long, and parts were just as beautiful as anything before, but coming back through Chile I knew that every mile would be safer and more comfortable than the mile before. There wasn´t any more anxiety about Bolivia, or getting lost, or having a problem with the bike. If the bike broke down, I could throw it in the back of a pickup and haul it to Santiago.

The road is the only north-south route through the desert and takes most of the mining traffic. If it wasn´t for the mines there wouldn´t be anything out there at all. It is dead all the way to La Serena, where I stopped at the end of the second day, and where signs of life start to appear.

My first night was in a fishing village basically in the middle of nowhere. It was a nice place. I caught an inn by the water and could hear the ocean outside my window (what a change from 4,000m at Potosi!). I got dinner at a hot dog cafe where the whole town goes for a hot dog, soda and some soaps or sports on the big screen TV. There were kids, families, grandmas, married couples - it was like something out the 1950s. There´s something comforting about small town Chile.

I stopped in La Serena for a few days to decompress and get back online. The city has a gorgeous 10 mile stretch of beach which is nearly deserted at this time of the year. Rates are low, and I grabbed what could be a studio apartment for a shockingly low price. There are some good places to eat along the water too and it´s been good to fill up on steak and wine again... the prices aren´t quite as good as Argentina but they aren´t bad either.

So from here it´s a straight shot to Santiago - although I have so much time that I´ll make another beach stop at Valparaiso along the way. It turns out I was way too generous with the time to get here... I almost expected to get stuck somewhere in Bolivia for a few days, but here I am. Just over a week to go...

All mining, all the time. Here are those giant mining trucks making it down the highway . all the traffic from the opposite direction, move over!

They are so freakin big.

Then there´s this in the middle of the desert.

It´s taken a bit of wear and tear from the locals.

Shredded tire... looks really grim out there.

Just follow the road... and don´t break down!

A different look at those mining trucks. They make the fence look like a fake miniature fence.

Working on my tan in the sunniest place on the planet.

Smelters and other exciting mining industry in the desert.

Open road.

My token mars lander shot. It kind of looks like Mars from this angle, doesn´t it.

Everything is so far away!

Nice little beach at the fishing town.

Another bizarre phenomenon - the world´s most productive fishery right next to the most dead part of land in the world. There would probably be more fishing villages, but there´s literally no way to get water out there, so folks live around the few places with some fresh water.

More shrines for drivers.

It´s like the big sur, but more brutal and desolate.

Detour through the red desert.

There are tons of seagulls and pelicans out in the water - you can see that huge flock floating there in the middle of the picture.

Cool contrast of jet black road, earth and sky.

Here´s a sandy beach - it would be inviting with some palm trees and shade! But it just feels so isolated... beautiful, but not really a place I`d want to stop and relax.

More mining-related industry... these are tanks full of sulphuric acid.

A little pro-Chilean copper company advertising. The loading point of copper for all Chileans.

Back to civilized society... private cars, nice gas stations.

Even a place to wash your hands and face!

Did you forget anything? They are so nice.

Delicious. Follow the truckers.

These guys run some awesome gas stations. There´s usually free wi-fi, an espresso bar, hot sandwiches, clean bathrooms and good service. I love them.

Wind turbines in a valley - I definitely felt the wind!

Ginormous cranes - probably still under construction.

Chile, I love you.

I really do - the hot water is hot. The internet is fast. The food is guaranteed not to give you cholera or some terrifying intestinal parasite. Everything... works. And the people are cheerful and friendly. It´s like some wonderful offspring of a Swedish person and Jamaican, or something.

On top of that, San Pedro is awesome. It is a laid back little desert oasis on the edge of the Andes. I didn´t give it justice the first time through. It feels like a surfing colony where the ocean left but the surfers stayed.

So I hung out for a few days to binge on internet and oxygen, contribute to the water shortage by taking long hot showers, all while doing a few little side trips to some ruins around the town.

Chileans love signs, but they are still learning how to make them. This one is jam packed - but what does it all mean? Clockwise from top left - houses of varying shapes and sizes, dancing gypsies, flaming volcanoes, Greek architecture museum, women sitting on exercise balls, and hikers (ok that one is obvious).

Again - just in case you weren´t sure, you should park your vehicle here, and not at the other parking spot across the... massive desert.

A prehistoric village (this part is reconstructed). People used to live here, and then the climate changed and the rivers moved, and the town was abandoned and preserved by the completely sterile climate.