DAY 53 (1 OF 2) – PACIFIC OCEAN, ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

At 8:00, our bus left the terminal in San Pedro de Atacama for Anfatogasta.  During the 5.5 hour bus ride, we passed by many mining sites and small mining towns.  It was desert landscape all the way until the last half hour when the bus drove past the last mountains before the coastal plains.  A different world appeared on the west side of the mountains as houses and apartment blocks dotted on the slope facing the ocean.  Between the mountain and the Pacific, we had finally arrived in the bustling city of Antofagasta, the third wealthiest city in Chile thanks to the prosperous mining industries in the Atacama.
The reason for our stay in Antofagasta is to pick up our rental car and use it as our base to visit the nearby Paranal Observatory.  Dotted with box retails, large shopping centres and casinos, Antofagasta is not the most desirable destination for many tourists.  As we drove around the city, we found Antofagasta was not as chaotic as we thought it would be.  Traffic jam was quite a problem, especially on the main arterial road along the Pacific coast.  After we picked up the car, we planned to visit Parque Cultural Ruinas de Huanchaca, a new interpretative centre for the cultures in Atacama.  Unfortunately, the centre was closed for a concert in the evening.  On our way to dinner, we stopped by the waterfront promenade across the street from our hotel for the sunset over the mighty Pacific.
* * *
Read more on San Pedro de Atacama, 2013 South America
Day 49 – Arrival, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 50.1 – Geyser del Tatio, Atacama Dessert
Day 50.2 – Altiplano Wetland, near El Tatio
Day 50.3 – Machuca Village, Atacama
Day 50.4 – Stargazing, Atacama Dessert
Day 51.1 – Town, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 51.2 – Valle de la Muerte & Cordillera de la Sal, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 51.3 – Valle de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 52.1 – Laguna Chaxa, Atacama
Day 52.2 – Lagunas Altiplanicas, Atacama
Day 52.3 – Tropic de Capricorn, Atacama
Day 53.1 – Pacific Ocean, Antofagasta
Day 53.2 – Nan King Restaurant, Antofagasta
Day 54.1 – On the Road, Atacama Desert
Day 54.2 – Paranal Observatory, Atacama Desert

* * *

South America 2013 – Our Destinations
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Pantanal (Brazil), Brasilia (Brazil), Belo Horizonte & Inhotim (Brazil), Ouro Preto (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Paraty (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Samaipata & Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Sucre (Bolivia), Potosi (Bolivia), Southwest Circuit (Bolivia), Tilcara, Purmamarca, Salta (Argentina), Cafayate (Argentina), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Antofagasta & Paranal Observatory (Chile), Chiloe (Chile), Puerto Varas (Chile), Torres del Paine (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), El Chalten (Argentina), El Calafate (Argentina), Isla Magdalena (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Afterthought