We spent a few days in Copiapo dealing with the sale of our truck. We are so happy to have found a buyer. Since the process takes about a month to complete we didn't want to be stuck in South America waiting to sell it. Looks like we will be selling it around March 1st in Mendoza, Argentina. Then we will fly back to the states via Santiago, Chile. It was nice to be stationary for a bit. We slept in the desert, worked out every day, ate at a new restaurant every day, and enjoyed the fast wifi at Ibis Hotel. I'm sure they were wondering why we came there every day and stayed for so long. We ate some really good food for a change. We had a fox run pretty close to our truck in the desert so that was a highlight. These were some pretty uneventful days. On the 30th we headed to La Serena. We failed to find a DHL in Capiapo and we hope to have more luck in this town. We ate at Burger Club and then ran some errands. We spent the night in a pretty terrible spot in the middle of town near the beach. We are hoping the DHL is legit tomorrow so we can send the title on its way to be exchanged to the new owners!
26th
We headed into town once we woke up. We went to the mall and went to Dunkin Donuts! Yummy! Then we ate lunch and stocked up on groceries. After that we went on our great search for WiFi. After trying 4 cafes and 2 hotels we finally found WiFi that is fast enough. We headed out of town once we finished. We drove towards Laguna Santa Rosa. We found a place to camp and relaxed before dinner. We made some delicious bolognese.
27th
After breakfast we hiked part way up the mountain behind where we parked. I thought it to be unsafe so we didn’t go to the top. We both worked out a bit and then showered. Then we headed towards Nevado Tres Cruces Park. We drove all the way up to 15,000 ft and then hiked towards the white stuff on the mountain. We debated whether it was ice or salt. I went back to the truck half way up and Bart finished. He just had to know. Snow it is, or rather ice. Then we drove to the lookout for the Laguna. It was crazy windy so we decided to head back down. We went to Pizza Piero for dinner and ate some amazing pizza! Then we headed back to the desert for the night.
22nd
After breakfast we went into town to shower and grab water. Then we headed out of town to our next overlanding spot. When we arrived in the little coastal village we got a big wave from a local. It was the same lady who showed us where to get our laundry done. We decided to eat lunch at her restaurant. It was really good. We had an empanada with cheese and octopus, cheese and shrimp, and cheese and shell fish. We also ordered the fish. It was too much food for us. We were surprised it was good because the place was filthy. Then we walked to the pier and bought a parrot fish for dinner. The fishermen had caught mostly eel. They had diving suits so we assumed that’s how they caught them. They offered us to take a picture with the fish. Another man came in with a shark he caught. The man who sold us the fish said they sold ice in town. They did not so we drove all the way back to Taltal for ice. When we got back to Cinfuncho we headed to the beach. Bad idea. We got stuck in the sand. Bart ran to get some locals to help push it out. A family of 4 traveling through came to our rescue. We still couldn’t get it up the hill. Another two guys came from the road to help. It took a lot of time and work to get it out. Once that disaster was over we parked in a parking lot and relaxed until dinner. Dinner was inedible. We grilled the parrot fish whole. We found it repulsive after one bite. We gave it to the pack of dogs hanging around, which caused a huge dispute. We ate candy for dinner and went to bed.
After breakfast we went into town to shower and grab water. Then we headed out of town to our next overlanding spot. When we arrived in the little coastal village we got a big wave from a local. It was the same lady who showed us where to get our laundry done. We decided to eat lunch at her restaurant. It was really good. We had an empanada with cheese and octopus, cheese and shrimp, and cheese and shell fish. We also ordered the fish. It was too much food for us. We were surprised it was good because the place was filthy. Then we walked to the pier and bought a parrot fish for dinner. The fishermen had caught mostly eel. They had diving suits so we assumed that’s how they caught them. They offered us to take a picture with the fish. Another man came in with a shark he caught. The man who sold us the fish said they sold ice in town. They did not so we drove all the way back to Taltal for ice. When we got back to Cinfuncho we headed to the beach. Bad idea. We got stuck in the sand. Bart ran to get some locals to help push it out. A family of 4 traveling through came to our rescue. We still couldn’t get it up the hill. Another two guys came from the road to help. It took a lot of time and work to get it out. Once that disaster was over we parked in a parking lot and relaxed until dinner. Dinner was inedible. We grilled the parrot fish whole. We found it repulsive after one bite. We gave it to the pack of dogs hanging around, which caused a huge dispute. We ate candy for dinner and went to bed.
23rd
After breakfast we headed to the Pan de Azúcar park to see penguins. It was a very beautiful beach, but the place is practically deserted. As we are both recovering from being sunburned we did not need a beach day. We stopped at a restaurant and tried locos for the first time. They are a new kind of shellfish. We didn’t love them, but it was a good time to try them since they are very expensive elsewhere. They sell for $40 in a can. It costed us $15 for 4 of them. Then we asked about the boat tour to see the penguins and for whatever reason there were no tours. It was a ghost town so we were not surprised. We decided to head into Canaral to get a hotel for the night. We needed a break from the elements. We checked in and then cleaned the truck so we could take pictures and post it for sale. We showered a million times while we were there. Hot water is such a treat these days. Then we went to the supermarket. We searched and searched for a cafe or restaurant that was open and had WiFi. We happened upon a place called Club Social. We splurged and had an amazing dinner. The man spoke English so that was fun. He talked our ear off. He asked us what we felt like eating and then sort of helped us decide what to have. I went with a shrimp alfredo, even though there was no pasta on the menu. Bart had the Chilean sea bass with black butter and capers. We also had octopus for an appetizer. We relaxed back at the hotel the rest of the night. It felt amazing to take a break from the truck and elements. We are still in pain from our sunburn.
24th
We headed toward Capiopa and decided to stop at Bahia Iglesia on the way. It was a quaint little tourist town. We stopped and had oysters and a quesadilla for lunch. We drank a couple beers and then headed out. We ended up staying in the desert for the night.
25th
We headed into Capiopa to find WiFi. We found nothing because everything is closed for Christmas. We ate lunch and then headed back to the desert. It was a long boring day in the truck. We will try for WiFi tomorrow.
18th
This spot on the coast is amazing so we decided to spend another night. We spent the entire day completely entertained by the ocean. We found the perfect spot. It was a swimming hole that was protected from the wind and waves, but was still being fed fresh water. There were so many sea creatures to explore. Every crack and corner had a new one. We opened a sea urchin to try it, but it didn't look normal so we tossed it. We also collected about 5 crabs for dinner. The fishing was great too. Bart caught most of the fish and I caught one. For dinner we made crab and fish cakes. It was so yummy! It was the perfect day minus the fact that we both look like lobsters. It's going to hurt tomorrow.
This spot on the coast is amazing so we decided to spend another night. We spent the entire day completely entertained by the ocean. We found the perfect spot. It was a swimming hole that was protected from the wind and waves, but was still being fed fresh water. There were so many sea creatures to explore. Every crack and corner had a new one. We opened a sea urchin to try it, but it didn't look normal so we tossed it. We also collected about 5 crabs for dinner. The fishing was great too. Bart caught most of the fish and I caught one. For dinner we made crab and fish cakes. It was so yummy! It was the perfect day minus the fact that we both look like lobsters. It's going to hurt tomorrow.
19th
We ran out of water so we went in search of some. Luyckily a nice local man let us fill our water jug from his supply. Then we headed down the coast to another spot. The fishing wasn’t great, but it was an interesting area. We hiked around for a couple hours. We saw tons of dead animals including a mountain lion and a few seals. We also saw dolphins, sea lions, and a sea otter.
20th
We arrived in the coastal town of Taltal. We walked around town and ate fresh fish at a local restaurant for lunch. We walked the pier and saw plenty of sea lions and jellyfish swimming around. Then we headed to our camping spot. We fished and I collected sea glass. We made dinner and relaxed. We are so shocked at the amount of trash along the coast. It really takes away from the beauty of the land.
21st
We spent the day fishing and collecting sea glass at a new spot. I found an octopus and we tried to catch it to eat it. Once it realized our intentions it hid under a large rock and wouldn’t come out again. Still such a cool thing to see. We went to the gas station to shower. I asked the cashier where a laundromat was. She introduced me to a woman sitting outside. Eventually she got into the truck with us and directed us to a lady who would do our laundry. We bought fresh fish for dinner. Bart caught the same type of fish that we bought. For dinner we made a red curry with fresh fish. It was delicious. After dinner we went fishing again and caught a bunch more. We threw them back, but it was fun. I also watched three sea lions playing and eating for a while. We went to pick our laundry up at 8 PM.
