Day 31 – Thursday, February 26, 2026

My plan was to leave at 6 am, but it wasn't till eight that I was on the road. The not-every-day-war-zone Alto Hospicio was at around 500m of elevation, there were another 700m waiting for me, but spread over 40 km. I had gotten used to climbing, as someone I used to know would say: it was "nothing special". At around 11 am, I reached Humberstone, which is an interesting ghost town, originally a nitrate mining settlement. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site now, and it really feels like stepping back in time. All the old buildings and machinery are still there, giving you this eerie, nostalgic vibe - it felt like being on movie set. They had a school, theater, church, petrol station - ans a pretty large liquor store. I spent roughly an hour there, then I was yet again back on PanAmerican Highway 5. Here iraffic was light and it was just a two lane highway. As I told a buddy if mine, the desert always show a different face - interesting here were the green oasis. One such oasis was a military base. In no other country would I dare to ask for water, here an officer ordered a soldier to fill up my liquid supplies. I was a bit wary of seeing all sorts of whirlwinds around me, but did not thing too much about it. So I reached a small settlement called him for his kindness.. Here the had a store (which, BTW, was called "Israel" - I asked why, did not understand the response), looking at my map - no such place would be coming up for the foreseeable future. I filled my bags and and also took a rest. As I was sitting in front of the store, an older nan on a bike tells me to go with him. He took ne to his home a few streets away and suddenly, a huge serving of white bean soup was in front of me. While I was munching away on this truly tasty dish, Rixardo showed ne his collection of minerals and small statues from Bolivia and Peru.

I think Ricardo for his kindness and it was time to leave. I ran across a city official who told me they would be no store for the next 100 km or so and no place to stay till Arica, sone 240 km away. OK, let's see what's going to happen. Now i was in the real desert wilderness. The first thing I noticed was the whirlwindI had seen earlier was a lot stronger. There was a wind coming from the west, i.e. sideways, which was extremely strong. Riding on the correct side of the road, the right side, was extremely dangerous, I was yet again like a leaf in the wind when a lorry passed. I found a temporary solution - which was riding on the left side, that meant not being subject to all these whirlwinds. Still, as I said in one of the attached videos, this is not the Chile I had fallen in love with. I judged my chances of being pick up by a car as not very high - so I kept riding, then trying to hitchhije, then again riding. Finally, and not much later, a lorry stopped. We loaded my bike on the top of the cargo and we were off. As my journey was completely unplanned, I had no idea whether this was a good or a bad decision. It was definitely a good one, as the winds were really strong, but they were also some spectacular and nteresting things. Interesting to see was that they were actually a fee ttruck stops - so I probably would have made it, even without a lot of supplies. Spectacular was the Lluta Canyon, a dramatic, sweeping landscape that really breaks up the desert terrain. It was formed by LLluta River carving its way through the landscape. Fascinating was to see all the green along the river in this otherwise barren landscape. Yeah, here I was kicking myself for not riding, but then...the wind, the wind, the wind, that was the enemy. Also, this downhill was followed by a 21-km uphill section, after which the road descended, then ascended (repeat so three times) before finally dropping to Arica at the sea side. Here I booked a nice, comfy hotel. I am now practically at the border to Peru. I "cheated" some 220 km - yes, I would have been able to do it. but it would have taken some four says...Let's see how today goes...