VICUÑA 27.01.2023

Another change! We wanted to go to our next location in Vicuña! For that, we had to go back to Calama! And as we have already written, our shuttle was supposed to pick us up at 6 am at the accommodation. Lidia had somehow made it clear to us that we should not wait on the street as before. They would already be awake in the morning, but ...! We placed the key to the apartment on the hood of her car and sneaked out of the complex. Even on this morning, the two dogs 'Blacky' (German Shepherd) and 'Ringo' didn't make a sound and accepted our disappearance! In general, the two were very loyal souls who could immediately place us. Petting, sleeping on our doormat, lying relaxed next to the swing when I smoked a cigarette, we simply belonged!

The shuttle was not only for us, but also picked up five other passengers and drove to Calama. Almost everyone got off at the airport and we looked for a seat. At this time (7 am), the Sky counter was not yet open and there was no public internet! But we weren't the first either, so we could do a lot of people-watching. Especially the dogs occupying the entrance mats were interesting to us. No one chased them away, no one was aggressive towards them, they seemingly belonged to the place! And when I got up from my seat, one of the dogs trotted over and wedged itself between Karin and two Chilean women. Just like a dog would spread out on a sofa at home! He stretched and stretched so much that Karin had to get up and he tucked his hindquarters next to the Chilean woman. We all just smiled and a video of the process would have definitely gone viral on the internet.

Eventually, the Sky counter opened and we were able to drop off our luggage without any problems. Franzi had specially booked an extra piece of luggage for us, which was necessary with a suitcase weight of 23.1 kg. I always have the closet with me, where everything ends up that doesn't fit anywhere else or comes in newly (tablecloth, farewell bottle of wine, etc.). The remaining time also passed relatively quickly, even though there was no public wifi! The plane that was supposed to take us to La Serena landed, the passengers got off, and shortly afterwards we got on again. Just like a tram at the end stop! The seats assigned to us in the A-320 were in the back and we didn't even have a window. But any other request would have cost us money again and we would survive the 1.5 hours anyway. We took the 'Rayan-Air standard' with colorful cardboard cards that offered 'delicious' treats and with safety instructions stuck to the back of the front seats in stride. The only thing that was important to us was that we were let in with the first group, because then the luggage compartments were still empty. The people after us already had their problems! And it was made even more optimal when we disembarked, because a gangway was also pushed to the rear exit, so we quickly got off the plane and headed to the airport building.

With our luggage, we went to the official taxi stand, where a man in formal attire asked us about our destination. Fran had repeatedly tried to arrange a cheap means of transportation to Vicuña for us, but never got below the shuttle price of 60,000 pesos (approx. 65 km). We couldn't find a bus line on the internet and the last attempt gave us an alternative. A man at the hotel reception gave us the tip to go to a specific street because the collectivos to Vicuña would depart from there. The driver, whom our taxi service man had arranged for us despite the large crowd, could do something with the address and dropped us off in a street where there were only dark yellow cars (official taxis also have this yellow color, but with black body!). There were larger signs on the cars indicating the final destination. As soon as we got out of our car, the luggage was transferred to the collectivo to Vicuña. The price of 4,000 pesos per person was displayed in the front window, quite a difference! Only then did we notice that there was a young woman sitting in the front seat who seemed to be waiting for the departure. But our driver kept walking up and down the street and loudly offered the last seat in the car. A man who wanted to get on hesitated when he saw us on the back seat with our backpacks for the journey. It was probably too crowded for him and he took another car. The Chilean woman then, after several glances at the clock, spoke to the driver and gave him money. Perhaps that was compensation for the empty seat? In any case, another man came who dropped off two packages and paid for them, which finally got our car moving. By the way, it was a Hyundai Accent with a flow wing on the trunk! The car needed it because then the driver started racing. Whether it was a solid double line, an unmistakable no-overtaking sign, or a petty speed limit, I think it was 120 km/h on the speedometer. But we were able to fasten our seat belts! I never thought a Hyundai could have that much power under the hood! In any case, we arrived safely in Vicuña and when the man stopped, Karin noticed that we were exactly in front of our hotel! Uh, how did that happen? The driver only dropped off the packages here and told us not to get off. The final stop is supposed to be the bus terminal in the center! But then he understood and was happy for us! Done and here! Super!

The 4-star hotel-spa 'Terral' didn't look special from the street side, but it was very cozy and beautifully designed inside. With a fountain in the green garden/lounge area, of course a pool, a rooftop terrace with a bar area and two jacuzzis, etc.! So, after two weeks of Atacama desert dust, we consciously chose such a hotel, in such a small relaxing place (approximately 15,000 residents), to relax! But...: The hotel manager's English, very friendly and very eager, was just enough for the basic information, namely: wedding celebration and thus the rooftop terrace closed, wedding celebration and thus the hotel's restaurant Pataska closed, the massage/spa area closed due to Corona,...but otherwise everything is normal!? Our spacious room (more like 1.5 with balcony) was available to us right away, even though in Chile the check-in time is usually at 3 pm (by the way, almost everywhere check-out is at noon). After a welcome drink, we immediately set off to explore the town because we had already discovered market stalls and a stage setup in the central square. And we also needed the bus terminal because we were supposed to continue three days later. At the terminal, we were told that we didn't have to buy tickets in advance for La Serena because a bus would leave at least every twenty minutes (3,000 pesos). Well, great, one less problem. On the way back, we also discovered a large supermarket and stocked up on basic supplies, and on the way, we noticed a visually appealing restaurant (housed in an old colonial building!) that was going to be our destination for the evening. A slightly English-speaking waitress gave us a preview of the menu (again, only in Spanish!) and we promised to come back!

In the evening, we sat in the Retaurante Halley and enjoyed the place, but we were almost alone. The restaurant closed at 8 pm and there was only one family left for drinks!? Well, we still haven't understood the customs and eating habits of the locals!? Just like the very long lines in front of the ice cream parlors?? Karin wanted to try it and also got a scoop of cactus water ice cream and a scoop of chocolate milk ice cream, I got the same even though I didn't order it. But the business-savvy ice cream vendor handed us two ice cream cones with a price of 1,500 pesos per scoop!? Scooping ice cream and slurping in the heat, even in the evening, we reached our luxury accommodation and that was it!