Antofagasta

So I made the six and a half hour bus ride from Copiapo to Antofagasta, the second largest city in Chile. It is a much differen world then Santiago, or at least from what I`ve seen in my short stay. It owes its size to the mining industry, and is a working city. I am getting into a very interesting area politically, as it has lots of mineral deposits and has been in the hands of Chile, Bolivia, and is starting to be what was traditionally Inca territory. I spent most of the ride looking out at the vast Atacamba desert, so barren, with mountains so big. Haven`t seen a green spot for quite some time. The coast in this area is very rocky, with jagged boulders sticking out everywhere.

I found the Hotel Fronterra, which is a run down dive, but cheap and in a good location. The streets here are full of energy, plenty of buses and people scurrying all about. The street front, so different then the colonial style of La Serena or Copiapo, is a mesh of old materials, burned out fronts, wires of many sorts from barbed wire to electrical wire. Bars cover most windows, reminds me a lot more of some of the barrios I went to in New York then anything else. Except for the looming mountains that keep me oriented.

There are also lots of Shoperia, which I would attribute to the working class attitude of the city, work hard, play hard. I don`t know how long I will stay here, there are some places to see, but I`m feeling the urge to move on to San Pedro Antacama, in the middle of the desert, for some outdoors adventures. We`ll see though....