Antofagasta

After three nights in Valparaiso, we returned to Santiago for one more night, before heading to the north of Chile to a small city called Antofagasta. Our flight to Antofagasta left at 6:50am, which meant checking out of the the hotel by 5:30am at the latest. We ordered an Über and unbeknownst to us the request had been cancelled by the driver. We waited almost 15 minutes before we decided to jump into a cab, which was fortunately waiting outside our hotel. We knew that this would be a much more expensive mode of transport but we had no other option if we wanted to make our flight.

Our hotel was about 25 minutes from the airport and as we drove along the tension and stress increased. We started to stress about missing our flight and also the cost of the journey, as the metre seemed to be going up in leaps and bounds. While the journey cost more than what we had expected, it was fortunately not as bad as Jason's prediction. But the cost was only the start of our problems. When Jason handed the driver the money for the fare, the driver refused to accept the money saying “falso, malo” (fake, bad). How did we end up with counterfeit money? We mostly use credit or debit cards for most purchases and any cash is retrieved from an ATM. We've racked our brains and can't recall where we may have been given it. At first, we thought the taxi driver may have just been saying it but it was confirmed when Jason tried to buy lunch at the bus terminal in Antofagasta.

As we approached the check-in counter on Santiago, we realised that the line was almost out of the entrance of the airport. If we were going to make the flight, we needed a way to bypass the queue. The special assistance line was only two people deep. Jason still sporting his sore ankle said “do you need me to limp more?” When we got to the front of the line, we called one of the airline employees over to us and at first she said that we needed to go to the end of the line. With a bit of charm, we persuaded her that we would miss our flight if we had to go to the end of the line and she allowed us to jump the queue. Phew! We just made it in time to board our flight.

After an hour-and-three-quarter flight, we arrived in Antofagasta with a few hours to explore the town. We quickly realised that there wasn't much to do in the city. Most of the city is dedicated to mining, although in recent times it has seen more growth in the city, especially retail and hotel development. The shore, contrasting with the desert-like mountains in the foreground, is worthy of a picture and a quick stroll. But other than the shoreline, the city was full of construction. Maybe in a few years the city will be more of an attraction for tourists.

Next stop: San Pedro de AtacamaRead more