Iquique - Salt Flats - Chile

Today the ship docked in Iquique, Chile. It is a major import town for Chile.
Early this morning, about 4 a.m. was the Blood Moon, the total lunar eclipse where the moon turns red. We did manage to get a few pics.
Our all-day excursion was a drive from Iquique, out from the port filled with shipping containers and through the city. Iquique means 'a place to rest or sleep' with a population of 250K. And it never rains here since it is located in the most arid desert in the world where it almost never rains. The city grew because saltpeter, the active ingredient in gun powder was discovered in the desert over a century ago. Now the desert is being mined for copper and lithium. Mining and shipping are their major industries.
We visited a small town that was created for the mining workers. The companies created small towns near the mines that contained all the goods, schools and services that they would need to live and work there. This stop was also to help acclimate us to the altitude - we are going up to 14K feet in the Andes mountains later on today.
We then drove up the winding road further up into the mountains. As we got higher up, the desert turned more green with shrubs and small grasses. You could see the mountain peaks in the distance as we drove up. We had a stop at a local shrine where you take a rock and make a wish then put it back into the pile. Maybe it will work??? The stop was to help us again get used to the altitude. They told us to be careful, walk slowly and breathe deep breaths to try and help with the thinning air. The military stopped to question our bus driver and local guide to make sure were were legitimate since we were nearing the border with Bolivia, just a few miles away.
We arrived at the Salt Flats and the lagoon there. There were more plants and now we could see some of the animals there. Wild Donkeys, Llamas that the locals raise, sheep, Rhea (South American Ostrich) and Flamingos. We were able to get some great pics of the animals and the lagoon full of flamingos. The local farmers raise the llamas and sheep. We didn't see one but there is a mouse the size of a rabbit. We did see their holes burrowed into the ground of the salt flat. I checked my watch and the altitude was 14,035 feet. There were great views of the Andes mountains with the salt flat lagoon below and all the wildlife that lives there. We were able to walk out onto the flats a little way and our hiking boots came back covered in salt.
Then back onto the bus for our ride back down the mountains to sea level and our ship.
Finally we arrived at the Salt Flat Lagoonもっと詳しく