AROUND THE FLAT WORLD : ROAD TO ATACAMA DESERT ,CHILE

After Chanaral we spend one night at Pan de Azucar.It is natural park.We did have a plan to go one island where is penguins but sea level was too low so boats couldnt come to beach.Next morning we start our ride and try to get short cut but there was no road.Here in Chile they have lot of earthquakes and heavy raining.Sometimes there is no road.Atacama desert is worlds most driest place.Temperature was more than 43 C hot.There is also lot of sand in the air.
After 400 km ride we arrived to Antofagasta.Antofagasta is one of the biggest cities in Chile.

Pelicans from Pan de Azurcar

Pan de Azurcar

Filling up gas before ride throu Atacama

Atacama desert

No road

After Antofagasta we ride to San Pedro de Atacama.It is small town at Atacama desert.Around that town there is lot of to see.Salt lakes,gaysiers,hot springs,etc.At this area if you look to the sky at night time you can see millions and millions of stars.It is very clear sky here.We take a ride from San Pedro to direction of Argentina like 130 kilometers.There was 3 salt lakes where flamingos are living.You can also see lamas and alpacas there.Sorry vegetarians but lama and alpaca meat is very good too.When we ride back to San Pedro we were at 3000 meters high ,we saw one cloud with rainbow colours.Never seen anything like that.

Lamas

San Pedro de Atacama

Flamingos

Rainbow cloud

Salt lake

After San Pedro we see Valle de Luna ,Valley of the moon.That is place where they have make many scifi movies.Landscape is like from moon or mars.After that we ride to Tocopilla, it is old mainers town.Next morning we ride from Tocopilla to Iquique.That is one of best roads I have ever ride.Left side was Pasific ocean and right side it was Andie mountains 250 km.

Coffee brake

After Iquique we turn back to mountains .We ride to Arica .Road is high up on mountains,straight road .It goes at plain up there.That was first time we ride at sand storm.Heavy side wind and sand was everywhere .We see few small hurricanes too.Arica is nearby Peru border line.There was carneval at Arica .Town went totally crazy.They start to sing and dance 2 pm and stop 3 am and that continue hole weekend.One day we make road trip to Putre.Road between Arica and Putre is number 11.They call this road magnetic road.You cant use compass here.Local people also tell us that they have seen lot of UFOs here.