IQUIQUE 01.17.2023

Today I decided to have a 'home office day'. The travel blog is falling behind! Karin is focused on her audio play and enjoys the wide view from the balcony. The city and the sea flow into each other and the sound of the waves is usually louder than the street noise. Our daughter had ordered a tandem paragliding flight at the travel agency the day before and was already picked up in the morning. Almost all activities offered here for tourists include pick-up and drop-off services. So Franzi was gone and we relaxed in the Airbnb! She returned around noon (taxi?) and then the two ladies went on a city tour and I continued writing.

At some point, in the late afternoon, they came back with a few bargains (second hand, super cheap) and we prepared for the next adventure: sandboarding! Franziska had also bought a ticket for that, something completely new! We had booked ourselves as spectators. When will we ever get to see a fun sport like this live again? What none of us knew, Franzi received private lessons from the World Champion of 2015! So not just for fun. He had gained the necessary points through several successful performances in various countries and today he has a confident distance to the action. As a slightly graying trained ski and snowboard instructor, he had a lot to tell. The sand dunes were located at the edge of the city and a sandboarding scene feels at home here. It is very interesting to watch how people arrive by taxi and get out in shorts and a t-shirt with the board under their arm. Then they trudge up the dune with their board boots on. There are also differences in this: a smaller hollow as an 'idiot/beginner dune' and behind it the 'pro dune'. However, everything without a ski lift system, meaning a short ride and then a long hike back up in the sand! It is definitely very exhausting and requires strength! Franzis teacher had brought a board and a helmet for her and her regular sneakers were enough. He attached the binding once directly over the toe of the shoe and once over the upper ankle area. He cleaned the board from sand and waxed the surface with a candle to increase the sliding ability. Everything, just like in the snow! Now there were many explanations about body posture and weight distribution and then the first small descent. The speed seemed slower to me than on snow, but everything else was identical. After the first attempts, the teacher smoothed the descent track with his board and Franzi got better and better. We took photos and shot small videos and watched the activity on the slope. They even built a small sand jump that allowed for jumps. In addition, the teacher also took care of other boarders and made his own descents from the higher dune. Meanwhile, someone else took care of Franziska and other riders. So, when it comes to instruction, everything is pretty free and open. Well, the teacher also wanted to encourage me to ride, but I declined because of my knee. Besides, I know enough stories, up close, from snowboarders and the consequences when things go wrong. Our granddaughter Lea, the godmother of the sandboarder, is also currently diving into this sport because her workplace is now in Berchtesgaden. Let's see what else is to come! The surf instructor then took us home in the evening, including the sunset, and we sat on the balcony for the last rays!