Beech Registan Mein Halat Kharab 😭 I Collapsed in Atacama Desert 🇨🇱 Ep.38

Greetings, hello, Sat Sri Akal, Ram Ram to everyone, once again welcome to Antofagasta, I reached here last night and as soon as I arrived I took a room and went straight to sleep, there was a pizza shop nearby so I bought a pizza, ate it and slept, now I have taken out Dhanno and I am at a place called Hotel Dakota where I stayed, from here Calama is about 200 km away so today I will ride 200 km, the first 15 km will be a bit tough because I need to climb around 600–700 metres and then I will go up to around 2700 metres, now the mountain journey has started, it is 8:00 in the morning and the city is already active, this is a notary office and these places usually get crowded very early, by 9:00 it must be packed, now I will slowly move out of the city and head towards Calama at a fast pace, the road will become wider now, after riding around 1500–2000 km of mostly single road the last 400 km were single lane but from Antofagasta to Calama it becomes a four-lane highway again, I met a traveller from Brazil here, we had a quick chat, he was coming from Cusco and said there is a lot of rain there, now it is time to say goodbye to the Pacific Ocean for a while, we will meet it again in Peru because Bolivia has no ocean, so for now goodbye to the Pacific and we will turn inland after some distance, look at this railway station, it looks well built but there is no train standing here, I saw workers cleaning the road by washing it, on the way I found a petrol pump with Papa John’s and bought a small pizza for around ₹500, whenever I don’t find anything vegetarian I usually eat this as it is small and fills the stomach, now I am leaving the city behind and moving out, friends my condition has become bad, after around 40–50 km I started looking for a lift because I got a fever, my throat was already troubling me for the last two days and now I have fever as well, I took a tablet and reached the highway which is now four-lane again towards Calama, I also have a cough and since I have to go to higher altitude I don’t want to take risk so I will try to get a lift, there are many mining vehicles here so I will try to stop one of them, finally I reached Calama as one driver gave me a lift, he was going towards the airport and dropped me on the way, I have taken a lift of around 140 km and reached here, I have taken two tablets for fever but still feeling cold and weak, maybe due to the sudden change in altitude from sea level to around 2300–2400 metres I am also feeling slight breathing difficulty and coughing, so I will stay in Calama for now, I still have 5–6 days so I can cross the border later, I will first call Sahil as he has a friend in Santiago and I will check if I can stay somewhere, otherwise I will take a hostel or hotel here, this is probably the entry of Calama and the bridge leads to the airport, Calama is the last city here and from here I will go towards San Pedro and from there I will enter Bolivia, I could go directly but people say San Pedro is very beautiful, Calama is also a small but nice town mainly known for mining, most of Chile’s mining happens in this area and Chile produces a lot of copper, steel and iron, this is Calama and since copper is produced here the name is written in copper, they have even used such an expensive material for the sign, it is called the mineral capital of Chile, there is also a hand sculpture here similar to the one we saw before and it holds a map of Chile in its hand, it seems like a cultural theme here, there is also heavy mining machinery displayed here, real equipment used in mining, mining has been happening here for over 100 years, the mining region spreads across hundreds of kilometres and almost the entire northern part of Chile is mining area, I took a photo of Dhanno here but compared to these machines it looks like a toy, the tyres are almost 8–10 times bigger than my bicycle, the bucket of the machine itself is huge and even its hook is bigger than me, these machines must consume massive amounts of fuel, this is the mining system and these machines are unbelievably large, compared to them Dhanno looks like a child, I took a hotel here but when I stepped outside I felt dizzy and fell down which caused a cut on my nose and some bleeding, the room is small and costs $40 which feels expensive as you can get similar rooms in the US at that price, now I have reached a friend’s place from the hotel, this is his room where a few people live and two of them are from Nepal.

Hello, greetings, Sat Sri Akal, Ram Ram to everyone, I had reached here yesterday and right now a match between India and New Zealand is going on, how are you brother, I have parked Dhanno here, when I came here I saw that my laptop was completely damaged and not working at all, so the people here suggested that in Iquique, which is around 400 km from here, there is a person named Dilbagh who works with laptops and has a company, so I am planning to go there by bus with my laptop and then come back, my condition is still not good, I am having difficulty breathing, I have a cough and there is slight bleeding from my nose because of the earlier injury and also due to extreme dryness, so let’s see what happens, right now I am heading to the bus stand, this is Mukesh bhai who helped me and dropped me here, my bus was at 2:30 but it was full so I got a ticket for the 5:00 bus which cost around ₹1800, we still have some time and there is a festival going on here, it is like a carnival similar to Brazil and also celebrated in Bolivia and Peru, and luckily we get to see it here in Calama, it is a famous traditional dance that happens once a year where you can see full traditional culture and dresses, now the band is coming and the celebration is quite grand, this is the 17th or 18th carnival here and it happens every year around the end of February, it usually starts in the afternoon and showcases both local and Spanish culture, many participants are from mining communities and the culture in front of us right now is Bolivian, now we moved a bit away from the carnival, I have some time so I decided to get a haircut because my beard and hair had grown, here wearing sunglasses is very important because the sunlight is very harsh, without them your eyes will suffer, now the haircut is done and I feel fresh again, I need to regain energy as I have been unwell for a few days, now before taking the bus I will show you some aerial views of this beautiful city Calama, I bought the ticket and now I am heading to Iquique, happy journey and I will return tomorrow, this bus will take me there and I got my seat number, on the eve of Holi I even found Indian food here which felt amazing in such a distant place, by evening I was struggling to breathe but now I am laughing and enjoying, thank you to the kind people here who made food like naan with so much effort, it really feels special, once again welcome to Antofagasta, I had reached here last night and took a room, had pizza from a nearby shop and slept, now I have taken out Dhanno and I am starting the journey towards Calama which is about 200 km away, the first 15 km will be tough with a climb of 600–700 metres and then reaching up to 2700 metres, now the mountain journey begins, it is 8:00 in the morning and the city is already active, I saw a notary office which gets crowded early, now I am slowly leaving the city and heading out, the road will become four-lane again after long stretches of single road, from Antofagasta to Calama it is a proper highway, I met a traveller from Brazil who was coming from Cusco and mentioned there is heavy rain there, now it is time to say goodbye to the Pacific Ocean for a while and we will meet it again in Peru as Bolivia has no coastline, I saw a railway station which is well built but empty, workers were washing the road, on the way I found a Papa John’s at a petrol pump and had a small pizza since vegetarian options are limited, now I have left the city and after riding 40–50 km my condition became worse as I developed a fever, I took medicine but decided not to take risk at higher altitude so I looked for a lift, finally a driver helped me and dropped me near Calama while going towards the airport, I covered around 140 km by lift, I still feel cold and weak and the sudden altitude gain from sea level to around 2300–2400 metres is causing breathing issues and cough, so I will stay in Calama for now, I have 5–6 days so I can cross the border later, I will contact Sahil and check for accommodation or take a hotel, Calama is the last city here and from here I will go to San Pedro and then enter Bolivia, although I could go directly people say San Pedro is very beautiful, Calama itself is a small but nice mining town where most of Chile’s mining activity happens.

There are mines everywhere here. Almost all of Chile’s mining happens in this region. Chile produces a lot of copper, steel, and iron. So, friends, this is Calama. A huge amount of copper comes from this area. Even the “Calama” sign is made using copper, which is quite expensive. You can see the colour of copper clearly. This place is known as the mineral capital of Chile.

There is a large hand sculpture over there, let’s go and check it out. People usually take photos here. The hand is holding a map of Chile, almost like holding a chilli. It is a full artistic structure with the country’s map inside it. Hands seem to be a cultural symbol here, as you might have seen earlier as well.

And brother, the machinery used in these mines is massive. Real mining machines are displayed here, and some of them are very old. Mining has been going on here for more than 100 years. The copper mining belt stretches hundreds of kilometres — roughly 500 km one way, 300 km another, and about 100 km wide. You can say that this entire upper reddish area of Chile is full of mining activity.

Let’s take a photo of Dhanno here. These are the actual machines used in mining. Just look at the size of this tyre compared to our bike — it looks tiny in front of it. This tyre must be 8–10 times bigger. I can’t read Spanish, but you can see how it works — the bucket picks up material, loads it, and then it gets transported. Even the bucket itself is huge. I look like a child standing in front of it. One hook of this machine is bigger than me!

These machines are unbelievably big and heavy. Imagine how much fuel they must consume. This is what you call a “system”! Honestly, our entire setup would fit inside just one tyre. Look at me — I don’t even reach halfway up this tyre. Dhanno looks like a small kid in front of these giant machines.

So, I took a hotel room, but when I stepped outside, I felt dizzy and fell down. I got a cut on my nose and there was bleeding. The room cost around $40, which is quite expensive — you can usually get a room for that price in the US.

Now I have reached a room where some guys stay. It’s a shared place, and a couple of them are from Nepal. I had come here yesterday. Right now, the India vs New Zealand match is going on. How are you, brother? I parked Dhanno here. When I arrived, I realised my laptop had completely stopped working.

Someone here told me about Iquique, which is about 400 km away. There is a person named Dilbagh who repairs laptops and runs a company there. So I am planning to go there by bus with my laptop and then return.

My health is still not good. I am having breathing issues, coughing, and slight bleeding from my nose — partly due to an earlier injury and also because of extreme dryness. Let’s see what happens. For now, I will head to the bus stand.

This is Mukesh bhai, who helped me and dropped me there. My bus was scheduled for 2:30, but it was full, so I got a seat on the 5:00 bus. The ticket cost ₹1800. We still have some time, and there is a festival going on here.

It’s a carnival, similar to the one in Brazil. The same type of carnival is celebrated in Bolivia and Peru as well. Today, it’s happening here, and luckily we get to witness it. It’s a famous event in Calama — a traditional dance that happens only once a year. You can see complete traditional culture and attire here.

Let’s go and watch — the band is coming from that side. They have organised a grand programme. We have only seen a small part so far, but it is quite big. This is the 17th or 18th carnival here. It happens every year around late February and continues into early March, usually starting in the afternoon. It showcases both local and Spanish cultural influences. Many participants are from mining communities. The culture you are seeing right now is Bolivian.

Now we have moved away from the carnival. I still have some time, so I decided to get a haircut. My beard and hair had grown a lot. The barber is working now, and I gave him instructions on how I want it done.

I’ve also put on sunglasses — they are very important here because the sunlight is extremely harsh. Without them, your eyes will suffer. Mine keep squinting all the time.

Now the haircut is done — looking fresh again! I need to regain some energy because I have been unwell for the past few days. Everything is good now.

Before catching the bus, I still have a little time, so let me show you some more views of this beautiful city, Calama.

I have taken the ₹1800 ticket, and now we are heading to Iquique. That’s how it’s pronounced — I-Q-U-I-Q-U-E.

Alright brother, happy journey. Thank you, see you tomorrow. I’ll be back tomorrow itself.

Now I am on the bus. I got my seat number and some water.

On the eve of Holi, I was lucky to find Indian food here — imagine getting that in such a distant place! Just a few hours ago, I could barely breathe, and now I am laughing and joking again.

A big thank you to the lady who made the food. Look at the effort she put into making naan — truly amazing!