Chanaral

The bus was OK, the seat didn't recline fully but it was still pretty comfortable. I dozed fitfully from about 11pm to 4am, when I woke up and got panicky I would miss my stop. In the end it was OK, although it was only because I happened to ask the guy who gave me something for breakfast that I knew. I had expected they would come and tell me when we were there, maybe they would if I hadn't got off anyway but I am not sure. I mean, how am I supposed to know? I'm a tourist and the curtains on the bus were all drawn, so it's not as if I can see where we are even if I could recognise it. (Besides, bus stations never clearly indicate which city they are in when you look out of the window.)

By sheer chance I managed to walk over to the hotel from the bus terminal and they let me check in early, at about 9am. The hotel is quite nice although the room is a somewhat dingy and battered monk-like cell off the garden. Passable though. I need to follow up on it but the free wifi doesn't seem to reach to my room so I am writing this in the hotel bar with a nearly flat battery.

Went for a bit of a walk earlier, the views are quite spectucular with the mountains and the beach (possibly the first time I've seen the Pacific). The guide book hints that the beach is toxic as it consists of sand excavated from some nearby copper mine (there is a map showing the former coastline, which suggests there was an impressive amount of material dumped). Apart from a slight tendency to junk it looks quite nice though. I wandered around there and saw a lot of vultures (or possibly condors, I have no idea, and according to the guy at El Bar de Ruperto condors are essentially a type of vulture anyway). I went down onto the beach and found it heavily populated with still living jellyfish and the dessicated remains of their unlucky relatives.

While I was staring at one particular one hoping to watch the tide wash it back into the sea, I turned round to find a dog behind me. It went and sniffed at the jellyfish and then insisted on following me as I walked back off the beach. Fortunately I managed to lose it, and I must admit it seemed superficially friendly and quiet, but I didn't like having it around.

The place is pretty desolate. The only real reason to come here is as a stopover on the way north and to see the Pan de Azucar national park, which I need to go and book this afternoon.

Skies are very clear, this region has a number of world-class astronomical observatories. I just may manage to get a look at the stars, although I am not sure I fancy walking over to the beach at night, the considerably amount of graffiti and empty drink cans imply it's a popular hangout with the slightly dodgier element. Maybe there will be an OK view from somewhere else, we'll see.

I had a quick look on the web just now and it looks like there are rooms available in hostels in San Pedro Atacama when I leave here. I need to book those later today before they fill up, but it's a surprisingly long 10-12h trip from here to there so I need to decide if I am going to do it as an overnight trip or not. The main reason not to try to do that, I think, is that it means I will effectively be here in Chanaral for four full days and while it's probably a relaxing enough place, I am a bit uncertain about wasting that much time. I am feeling the pinch a bit for time.

I have booked the hotel here for three nights but I may end up leaving a day early and just forfeiting the extra night's charge. I need to think about it. If I can get the tour of the park in tomorrow then I have no major reason to stay, if I had all the time in the world it would be nice to relax here for a few days but as it is I'm not sure I ought to.

I am a bit reluctant to go book the tour as (following advice from reception) I am just going to have to go to some ratty-looking kiosk in the street. Anyway, better get it over with.