Iquique. Rest Day 0 kms.
Total Distance So Far: 10,874 kms (9,104 kms by Land, 1,770 kms by Sea)
A weather beaten large town of fading painted wooden houses. The whole town seems to be in the grips of being swallowed by the giant dunes up to 1km high that surround it. They have a plan of taking the sand from the dunes and using it as infill for a land reclamation project.
Another one of Chile’s seaport towns which grew on the back of exporting mining extracts. A hundred years ago it was the busiest port in the Americas, with 50 ships queued awaiting to be loaded.
We spent the day just strolling the old city centre, enjoying the café’s and doing a bit of bike maintenance. Our Hotel, The Prat was named after Chile’s biggest hero, Arturo Prat a Commander in the War of the Pacific. An unfortunate fellow he gave the order to board the enemy ship from Peru, but none of his crew heard the order so he charged onto the ship with just one other person. Both were quickly dispatched but his heroism is ledgendary. In every town there is statues, roads and civic buildings named after him.
The dunes completely dwarf the town.
Brightly painted wooden houses give the town a toy-town fun look.
An old tram still ploughs the old town centre streets.
The town square clock in the middle of Plaza Arturo Prat.
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