Tag: what to do in atacama desert

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. 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 […]

Situations have changed, emotions have changed.Welcome to this Mars-like land on Earth. And today’s camping is also going to be in a very special place. Friends, welcome to the Pan-American Highway. Good morning, friends! I have woken up. This was my room. I only used one small corner to sleep, and kept all my luggage on the side. This was the hotel, and from here you can see the view of the town. Right now it is 8:00 a.m., and there is already good traffic on the road, probably because there is a small port nearby. That is the fort up there, and over there is a church. Here is the police station. From there we will take a turn and go a little ahead, and then we will ride on the other side of these mountains. For the next 150 kilometres, we will be riding on the other side, away from the sea. This is the common guest area of the hotel. Honestly, paying $40 for a night in a place like this feels a bit strange. They even charge separately for coffee. Look at this machine — everything is measured here. And this old television… who knows how many people have used it. I have seen typewriters before, but this one feels even older.We are people from the old generation, you know! (laughs) The fog is still there, just like yesterday. But once we go a little ahead, it will clear. Our next target is Antofagasta. We are heading towards Antofagasta, which is about 300 kilometres from here. There is nothing in between, just desert. If I go via Taltal, then there are some places. Otherwise, if I go straight on Route 5, there is almost nothing. Yesterday I could have gone via Taltal, but today I am not in the mood. Near the coast, there is a bit of humidity, which I don’t like. But once we move ahead, that sticky feeling will disappear. Maybe we will face humidity again near Ecuador. But the river only has dirty water, because everything around is dry. This is a petrol pump, and after this, the next ones will be near Antofagasta. There is also an airport here, built between the mountains. As soon as you leave the city, you see 2–3 petrol pumps. There are probably 20–50 houses here. I bought some water and fruits from a small shop. Now just a little more distance remains, and after that, the downhill will begin. I have reached around 1400 metres elevation. The sun is very strong here, it really drains your energy. But the good thing is — the winds are very strong and in my favour. The roads are very smooth, and because the wind is pushing from behind, I can keep moving. The speed is not very high, but I am still moving steadily. If I go along the coast, it might feel easier, but: I don’t want to do that. So it is better to stay on Route 5. Soon there will be a turn for Taltal, but I will continue straight. It will be around 180 kilometres for the day. There is just one more climb — not too big — I will go from 700 metres to 1500 metres. So instead, I will just continue straight and cover 150–200 kilometres directly. After around 80 kilometres, there is a petrol pump where I will stop for the night. The next one could be 100 or even 200 kilometres away — I don’t know. Now it is just mountains all around. Now it will be all downhill from here. Even at this height, I am already breathing heavily, so I wonder what it will be like further ahead. I haven’t seen any trees or greenery today — only yesterday in the town. Now it is all downhill, and Dhanno will run like a horse. Just wait till the end of the video — you will really enjoy it. And today’s camping will also be at a very special place. You can see — whenever someone passes away, people build these small memorials. There is even a tree planted here, and a place to sit and rest. Usually, you don’t find places to sit in such areas, but here we have one. There are also incense sticks placed here. I will rest here for a while. The only difference is that it is hotter here. Far away, I can see wind turbines — thousands of them. It almost feels like they are calling me, and the wind is pushing me in that direction. The road is becoming smoother, and I am riding steadily. My speed is around 30 km/h, but the sun is very harsh. The winds feel strong, almost like they are hitting me, but still I keep going. I will try to reach there before sunset, so I can fly my drone and show you properly. I am not sure if I will get anything here. Usually, menus are written outside. But the problem is — there is nothing vegetarian. This is the biggest problem for a vegetarian traveller. I managed to find a coffee without milk. One interesting thing I noticed here is that people use stevia instead of sugar. I don’t know the exact reason for that. Here is the English (UK) translation of your text, keeping the natural travel-vlog storytelling style: I have had my coffee. Look, there is also a gas stove here. I’ll put it away now. There are some clouds now, so I don’t need it anymore. Anyway, we have already reached the top. It is already 8:10, and the sunset is at 8:16. Only 1.5 kilometres are left. I wanted to show you that unique place, but even after pushing hard, I feel I might miss it by a few minutes. The whole day I kept rushing just for this. I will reach before sunset, but I won’t get the perfect view I was hoping for. Let me […]

“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. 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 […]

So today we will probably sleep in a cemetery. This is an amazing natural view that has emerged from beneath the earth. Travelling here is even more dangerous than travelling in Ladakh. There is a famous story about this city — people say do not go outside after dark. One thing I can say with certainty is that China has, in a way, taken control of Chile. Hello, Salaam, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, Ram Ram ji. Once again, welcome to my YouTube channel and to a new day of the Pole to Pole World Bicycle Journey. At this moment we are in Copiapó, the capital city of the Atacama Region in Chile. We reached the Atacama region this morning, but we have run into a problem — actually two problems. The first problem is that my laptop screen has started malfunctioning. The second problem is related to the data from the last four days. I tried to transfer my footage from the Osmo camera, but the data did not transfer and it is not even showing on the memory card. It is a 512 GB memory card, and I have kept it safely for now. If it ever starts working again, I will upload that video later. Something similar happened once before as well. The footage that is missing was from La Serena to Copiapó, which was a completely desert region. In between there were no big towns where I could stop for the night. There was a small city called Vallenar, but I reached there late at night and left early in the morning. From La Serena I have travelled about 300 kilometres, so about 300 kilometres of footage is missing. If I ever get the chance in the future, I will recreate that video. This place is famous for its copper, gold, and silver mines. Everywhere around here you will see mines after mines. Now we have properly entered the desert region. Right now it might look like a beautiful green place, and you might think there is no desert here at all. But in reality, there is desert all around this city. And not just any desert — the kind of desert you might never have imagined. I have seen many deserts around the world, but even I am seeing this kind of desert for the first time. This city is considered the capital of the Atacama Region of Chile. In old times, the first railway in Chile was started from this area. I arrived here around 11:00–11:30 in the morning, and right now we are standing in the city centre. Behind me you can see Plaza de Armas. In most Spanish cities, the city centre has a central park with historical statues, and that place is called Plaza de Armas. This small area is the only green part of the city. Apart from this, you will not see greenery anywhere else. Look — they have even built special chairs for shoe polish workers here. This city was actually established by the Spanish for mining, so it can also be called a mining city. When I was outside the city earlier, there was nothing but desert. For almost 100 kilometres there was absolutely nothing. The good thing for me was that the wind was blowing from behind, so I was able to ride very fast. Tomorrow morning we will see what the wind conditions are like, because now I have to go back towards the coast, which is about 70–75 kilometres away. I have booked a hotel here, which I will show you later. It costs $40 per night. Let me tell you one thing — if I talk about the countries where my expenses have been the highest, this country definitely comes in the top three. It is now 7:00 in the evening, and most of the market is closed. But there are many Chinese people here as well. Look at this — this shop is Chinese-owned. You will find Chinese markets everywhere. I can say one thing with confidence — China has, in a way, taken control of Chile. There is another reason behind this. These shops are just a way of moving money around. The real work Chinese companies are doing here is related to mining — especially copper and silver mines. They manage money in ways that we cannot even imagine. Chinese people are very sharp-minded — I have personally observed this. Now you will start seeing desert everywhere around. There is Unimarc supermarket. I will buy something to eat from there and tomorrow morning I will show you more of the city. You can see these old buildings here. Before going into Unimarc, let me show you the highway from where I came and where I have to go. I have been travelling on Ruta 5 highway. Look there — a Chinese man standing alone. He is probably running this casino. Chinese casinos handle huge amounts of money. Here you can find both Unimarc and Lider supermarkets, so it is a reasonably big city. Look at the name of this bar — Lolitas. This is the bus terminal. From here onwards you will see nothing but desert, both in front and behind. And this is a very large supermarket. One problem in this area is that you should not go out after dark. It is not safe, and I have personally felt that. You can sense it immediately. For example, that woman over there looked intoxicated and she was trying to talk to me. There is a meat section on one side and a bread section on the other side. Let me buy something from the bread section. These are good for instant energy while travelling, so I will take some of these. These cost about ₹1000. Six pieces cost ₹100. Let me buy a few things. Now the total has become around ₹12,000 — milk, juice, fruit, bread and a few other items. This country is expensive, whether you believe […]

Brother, this city is really very beautiful. Good morning, salaam, namaste, sat sri akal, Ram Ram ji to everyone. Once again, welcome. Right now we are in Chile, and from Chile we are heading towards Bolivia. In the previous video you saw that we stopped about 40 kilometres before La Serena. La Serena is a big city here and you can also call it a port city. Today there was a India vs Pakistan cricket match. Normally I had to check out at 11:00 am, but I checked out at 1:00 pm. By 4:00 pm I will reach my hostel. I have already booked a hostel in La Serena. The 14th (Valentine’s Day) has just passed. On Valentine’s Day there was no hotel or hostel available anywhere. Now we will leave. It is only 40 kilometres today, so we will ride easily and enjoy the journey. See you on the road. So friends, we have entered the city area. The atmosphere here is amazing. I will explore the city properly later. Honestly, this city is extremely beautiful. Look at the roads — there are hills on one side, and on top of the hill there is a historical statue built there. It looks amazing. Look here — the city is built along the coastline. That building there looks like a bus terminal, and even on that there is writing in Chinese. Maybe there is a mall above and a bus terminal below. Look at this building — it is quite beautiful. Now we have come right along the coast, and we will continue riding along the coast for the next 500 kilometres until La Higuera. This is the fish market. Today is Sunday, so it is not very crowded. Look at all these seagulls flying around. Someone must have thrown fish here. This is the fish market area. You can see the remains of big fish that have been cut — they throw away the front parts sometimes. The smell here is very strong. Actually, this is a twin city. The city ahead is La Serena, and this one is called Coquimbo. Coquimbo is the older city, while La Serena was built later. Coquimbo is the port city, one of the oldest in this region. I stopped Dhanno here for a while and took out some dry fruits. Someone had gifted me about 1.5–2 kilograms of dry fruits, so thank you very much to that brother. This was the original old port city, and you can see the port here with ships. La Serena is the newer city, built later. You can compare it like Delhi and Gurgaon, or Delhi and Noida, or maybe Chandigarh and Panchkula/Mohali. I feel like flying my drone (which I call “parinda”) here once. Let’s try. Yes, we have launched the drone. I was a little worried that the large birds flying around might collide with the drone because they are quite big. Normally the beaches here are very clean. I noticed many clean beaches earlier, but this particular beach does not look very clean. Now we say goodbye to Coquimbo. There is also a beautiful church here and a large statue which was built around 1970 and is about 40 metres tall. It is quite famous. When the Spanish settlers came here, they used this port city for trading and business. Later they developed La Serena according to their own plans, but this older city existed even before that. So this was the main historical port city. Now we are leaving the port city. Look how nicely everything has been built here. This area here seems to be a scrap or storage area, and nearby there is a public gym. It is not just for display — people actually use it. Right in front there is a Vivo Mall. I have noticed that almost every city here has a Vivo Mall. And of course, you can see Chinese businesses everywhere. So friends, we are now heading towards the next city — La Serena. I am recording using my 360-degree camera. Let’s see how the footage turns out. The camera is shaking a little, so I will need to find a way to stabilise it later. Between these two cities there is just one river, and that river connects them. Now we are entering the fishermen’s area. All the fishing boats are parked here. On the other side there are many seafood restaurants — the whole road is filled with them. People here must really love seafood. If fish are caught here, people will definitely eat them, along with other seafood dishes. The beach here actually looks quite clean compared to the earlier one. People have set up their tents on the beach. Since today is Sunday, there are many people enjoying themselves. People here are crazy about beaches, just like people in India love mountains. As you go further north, the weather becomes hotter. In the south it remains cold throughout the year. The atmosphere here is really nice. Look — there are public gyms everywhere along the beach. The combined population of these two cities is around 300,000 to 400,000 people, and still they have provided so many public facilities like beach gyms. That’s really good. I also keep seeing Maruti Alto and Maruti 800 cars here, which reminds me of India. There is a place here called Tantra Club. I just came here while exploring. There is a signboard for La Serena. Look at these beautiful graffiti artworks on the road and walls — very impressive. Oh, we have been stopped! It looks like we have been given a fine. Yes, they stopped me and issued a traffic challan. There are many bars and restaurants in this area, and somewhere here is my hostel called The Cool Hostel. Yes, I have reached my hostel. Honestly, the room is not very good. This is the bed I got. I was very tired, so after reaching the hostel I went straight to sleep. […]