Indian Alone in the Atacama Desert… SCARIEST Night ⛺ Ep. 36

“What’s up from India, India?”
No ghosts came, my friend. Only one fox came at night.

Namaskar, Salaam, Sat Sri Akal, Ram-Ram ji.
Once again, welcome to my channel, to the Pole to Pole journey, the Antarctica to Alaska expedition, the world bicycle journey. I don’t even know how many names to give it anymore.

It has been 10 years now that I have been travelling on this bicycle.

Last night we camped at this beautiful place, which you could actually call a cemetery. You saw in the last video how I set up my camp here.

Now it is morning, and we are near the ocean, about 500 metres away from the sea. Because of that, there is mist in the air.

Right now there is a very light drizzle-like mist — what I call “kinmin-kinmin”, my favourite word.

Now we have packed up our camping gear and are preparing to leave.

Let me tell you my morning routine.

First, after waking up, I brush my teeth. After that I walk 100–200 metres away to find a suitable place for my morning routine.

Then I pack my mattress and sleeping bag into the bag. After that I fold the tent.

Then I arrange something to eat or drink. Sometimes I feel like having coffee or tea, so I make it.

But today I had juice and fruit, so I ate those instead.

Now I am preparing to leave this place.

Today’s target is 85 kilometres. After that distance there will be a town.

From Calama, the Bolivia border is still around 700–800 kilometres away.

Last night there was no mobile network here at all. I was completely cut off from the world.

But the stars were incredibly beautiful. I kept waking up again and again just to look at them.

No ghosts came. Only a fox came near my tent, probably looking for food.

But I had not cooked anything. I only had fruit and juice at night and again in the morning.

I did not feel like cooking, and besides, it was clearly written there that lighting a fire is not allowed here.

In the morning I also did one more thing. Let me show you.

So friends, how did you like the drone footage? If you liked it, please like and share the video and comment to tell me how it was.

Right now the fog is very dense, so let’s see how the ride goes today.

Everything is ready.
Baba is fine.
Let’s move.

 

Come on Dhanno (my bicycle), let’s go.

Look at these temple-like structures here. And these rocks are very unique. They have holes and natural designs all over them.

You can see — I came from that direction, and those were the temple-like structures there.

These formations are probably related to people who passed away, because normally people come here and offer things.

Look at this — nature has carved these rocks itself. People come here and pour water as an offering.

Here you can see small candle holders carved into the rock so that candles can be lit and protected from the wind.

All of this looks like it has been naturally shaped by nature itself.

Look at these holes — perfectly round shapes at the top.

You really cannot compete with nature.

Every country has something unique created by nature.

If this had been in our country, people might have started worshipping these rocks in their own way.

Look — these designs on the rocks are incredible.

And here you can see helmets hanging. These belong to miners or workers, and they have hung them here as a kind of tribute.

Now we will move towards the highway.

I had parked Dhanno over there. From a distance she really looks beautiful, doesn’t she?

Let’s do something fun today.

Out of 10 marks, how many would you give Dhanno, and how many would you give me?

Here there is a tourist information board explaining the Atacama region.

We came from Caldera, and right now we are here on the map.

We need to go towards this direction. This is a national park, and we will ride along its boundary. Going inside is probably not allowed.

Today we will stop somewhere near this coastal area.

Look — the sea is now very close.

That truck driver has also stopped here and is brushing his teeth.

[Music]

It is already 10:30–11:00 a.m., and the fog still hasn’t cleared.

My friend Dipanshu, who is doing his PhD in Germany, was researching this exact phenomenon.

In the Atacama region, people actually collect water from fog. The mist condenses and they gather it using special methods.

It must be a very scientific process.

Some research centres here are able to collect up to 500 litres of water from fog.

Look — suddenly the surroundings are becoming green. There might be a small river nearby.

There are many dogs in this village.

The mist is hitting my face, and water droplets are forming on it.

Look at the clouds everywhere.

Nature shows so many different moods in a single day.

Once this fog clears, the temperature might suddenly jump to 30°C.

You really cannot predict nature’s behaviour — not even the next moment.

It is already 11:15 a.m., and the mist is still falling.

Now it almost feels like light rain.

“Kinmin-kinmin-kinmin.”

Look at the artwork here. People here are quite artistic — they paint anything anywhere.

For example, this rock had two shapes that looked like eyes, so someone painted it like a joker face.

Now we have reached a small town.

I am feeling a bit hungry, and I also feel like drinking coffee.

But I am not sure whether there is a café here.

I see Coca-Cola signs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there is a café.

A mini-market would have been good, but I cannot see one yet.

There are very few people around here. Mostly I see truck drivers.

It is already around 11:15, and the sun still hasn’t appeared.

But I can see sunlight further ahead.

My target for today still has about 50 kilometres left.

This seems like another small area or settlement.

Look — there are eagles flying.

There is a local roadside eatery, but they do not have coffee here.

So I will ride another 10–20 kilometres and see if I find something.

I really wanted coffee, but if I cannot find it, I will just continue riding.

If I keep riding steadily, I should reach my destination by 4 or 5 p.m.

Today I cannot ride much further after that because I need to charge my power banks and devices.

Look — those truck drivers are selling fuel from cans. This happens all over the world, not just here.

Now my target is about 60 kilometres away.

There are many climbs and descents today.

And look — my shirt is completely wet because of the mist.

This village seems to be a fishermen’s village.

Look at this rock formation — it looks like nature created a pipeline shape and then raised it upward.

And look there — two eagles sitting together.

Nature truly has no competition.

There are clouds everywhere, and the atmosphere feels wonderful.

Here is the English (UK) translation of your text, keeping the natural travel-vlog storytelling style.

They have named this town Flamenco or something like that. The way people pronounce it here feels like how we sometimes change names — like people say “Jio” as “Jee-yo”. So hearing this name gives me that kind of feeling.

Honestly, if the sea was not here, this place would look exactly like Ladakh. As we go further ahead, the feeling will become even stronger. And we have not even started climbing the real mountains yet. Even now it already feels like that.

“Where are you from?”
“I am from India.”
“And you?”
“I am from Chicago.”
“Oh, okay. Are you travelling?”
“Yes, I just came here for touring.”
“I am going towards Calama, and then to Bolivia, and then maybe Central America. Let’s see.”

She was a local Chilean woman. She didn’t have any water, and she was hitchhiking. I had a bottle of water with me, so I gave it to her.

She looked a bit like she might have been intoxicated, but water is water, my friend. If someone is thirsty, you should give them water.

They have even built a temple-like place here… or maybe it is a church.

Alright friends, I have stopped here for a while.

I brought some chapatis with me, and I have coffee as well. I don’t feel like cooking vegetables right now. I just want to eat something simple and drink coffee.

Only 25 kilometres are left to reach my target.

I will rest here for 10–30 minutes. Then I will leave around 3:00 p.m. and by 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. I should reach there.

After that I will decide whether to stay there or move further ahead.

Tomorrow my target is to reach Taltal, which is about 200 kilometres from here.

Right now I will heat some water and make coffee. I will drink coffee and eat the chapatis.

I have warmed the chapatis a little. I cannot carry a tawa (flat pan) with me, so sometimes I heat them directly on the gas stove. I do not do this regularly.

When I stay in hostels, it is easy. But on the road, things become difficult.

So the coffee and bread are ready, and I am also ready.

Let’s eat, rest for a while, and then continue.

Alright friends, I have finished eating and now I have started riding again.

But this is a very dry region. There is about a 600–700 metre climb, and it is really exhausting.

There is a board here saying that the climb is about 700 metres.

Right now we are here, and from here we need to climb up to that point.

On one side there is Argentina, and on the other side there is the Pacific Ocean.

It has become very hot now, and it is hard to keep riding.

I am sitting next to Dhanno (my bicycle), resting in the shade of a wall, so the wind is less and my back can relax for a bit.

Let’s continue slowly. No problem.

Even if we reach a little late, we will still reach.

I have never seen rocks like these before. Almost every rock has holes in it, forming circular patterns.

Because of this, the whole mountain looks very unusual.

Now we have to cross that mountain ahead and then continue riding on the other side of it.

So friends, the plan was to stay in this town tonight, but I think I will move ahead.

The name of this town is something like Charam / Chañaral — I cannot pronounce it properly because I am out of breath.

Let’s ride 20–50 kilometres further so that tomorrow’s distance becomes easier.

Look at this design here.

There is nothing special — just pieces of wood and some rubber — but someone had the creativity to make art out of it.

There are similar designs on the other side as well.

This town feels a bit historical, and there is also a port here.

Now we will cross the mountain in front and ride along the other side.

But I finally stopped here itself.

Suddenly I got something like muscle strain or body stiffness while riding.

In the morning there was mist, and because of that light drizzle, my sides and body got wet, which made things worse.

So I thought it would be better to stop and rest here.

I have taken a hotel room here.

Honestly, this hotel has drained my budget.

There are three types of expenses:

• Within budget
• Out of budget
• And completely without any budget

This one is the third type.

The hotel cost $40.

But it was necessary to take it.

Last night I had already slept outside while camping, so today I thought I should take a proper room.

I have already taken a shower, and now I will go to the supermarket to buy something to eat.

Tomorrow morning I will start riding again, and then we will see what happens next.

One thing I noticed about this town — the walls are painted beautifully.

Look at these amazing paintings on the walls.

I came to the supermarket, but I could not find vegetables here.

These are not big supermarkets, just small local stores.

Now the place feels more like a village.

Just like small towns in India where there are simple local shops instead of big markets.

And even here, Chinese people have opened shops, even in these small villages.

It’s amazing.

The supermarket where I bought my items was also run by Chinese owners.

Look there — the queen is standing, the Scorpio car.

Whenever I see a Scorpio, I feel emotional because I used to drive one for many years.

My first Mahindra Scorpio was in 2010.

After that I bought three more, changing them every two years.

Times change, my friend.

But tell me — is my Dhanno (bicycle) any less than a Scorpio?

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This is the fire brigade office of the town.

It’s a small town, but they have two fire trucks inside and two outside.

They have also kept an old historical fire engine on display.

And look — they have built a temple-like structure here as well.

There is also a fort behind it.

Lights have been turned on now.

You can call it a church or a temple, but here there seems to be a religious place every few kilometres.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to tell you something.

Before sunset I did something interesting.

Do you know what?

I flew my drone.

So have a look at that footage.

[Music / Drone shots]

Now I am preparing my dinner.

I have cooked onions and chickpeas, and this is yoghurt.

I am also toasting some chapatis.

This will be my dinner tonight.

After dinner I will wash my clothes.

I will have to wash them in the bathroom.

They say it is not allowed, but I don’t really have another option.

My clothes have become very dirty, so I need to wash them.

After that, I will go to sleep.

So friends, I will see you tomorrow morning.