Winter beach bunny

Dia 18 del proyecto
Entre de Iquique y San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

After a day in Iquique, Chile, I learned three things:

1. Jack Johnson's biggest fan base is not in Maui, but in a South American beach hostel.
2. Winter in South America along the Pacific is the same as summer in San Francisco--foggy but good waves.
3. A day alternating between naps, reading and walking along the beach is needed to break up two very long and intense bursts of plane/bus rides.

Though it might be some time before I can listen to Hawaii's most famous musical export (the receptionist had the same two CDs on repeat), it was amazing to chill out for a day. Do boring things like sleep in, laundry and pay bills. The hostel had a spacious and inviting lounge area, complete with comfortable chairs, a small bar and pool table. A sweet Weimaraner puppy passed from guest to guest, looking for a good back scratch or food. It was easy to do no more than a quick meander through the center of town and back along the water.

Iquique (pronounced ee-kee-kay) is an interesting place. It is the middle of winter, so with the exception of the hard core surfers who come to catch nearly perfect waves, the town is deserted. However, with a collection of casinos and a duty-free shopping zone, it is easy to picture it as the Jersey shore in the summer. I'm actually glad it isn't the high season. Aside from better prices, the high-fashion beach scene doesn't really do it for me. Laid back surfers, less harried locals and dreadlocked Rastafarians are a better fit.

In my walks, it was interesting to see the remnants of the recent earthquake. In April, an 8.8-magnitude quake struck less than 30 kilometers from the city center. There were a few buildings in the process of repair and there was a lot of road construction. However, the majority of the city appeared to be relatively intact. There is time to repair most damage before the much-needed flow of pesos is scheduled to begin.

Now its time to head back into the desert for a few days....explore the Crown Jewels of the one of the world's driest places, the Atacama desert.