Tag: Antofagasta

Chile’s Second Most Populated Place

MONDAY, 24 JANUARY 2022 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

Arrival: 7:00 AM All Aboard: 4:30 PM Departure: 5:00 PM

DRESS CODE: CASUAL
For Ladies: DRESSES OR BLOUSES AND PANTS
For Gentlemen: SPORT SHIRTS AND SLACKS
No shorts or flip flop type footwear after 6:00 PM in indoor venues

TODAY’S WEATHER Partly Sunny High: 66°F 19°C Low: 59°F 15°C

If archaeological zones, landscaped plazas, and giant hands, are your travel cup of tea then look no further than Antofagasta. Set between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains, the city is Chile’s second most populated place, and by far the largest in the northern region.

Once the country’s primary export port, notably for minerals including nitrate and
later, silver, today Antofagasta is still the country’s center for mineral mining.

Antofagasta was once part of Bolivia and only became Chilean in 1904 after it was captured in the War of the Pacific. Under the subsequent treaty, Chile agreed to construct a rail link to Bolivia in return for the city.

Today the city still enjoys relative stress-free travel to La Paz, through
some of the most scenic and spectacular landscapes in the world. The railway link, which extended south as well as north, naturally brought colossal growth, expansion which is still continuing today.

In recent years, Antofagasta has seen high rise hotels and buildings sprout
up amid the jumble of old-fashioned plazas, former Railway Stations, and wooden-fronted Victorian and Georgian buildings can be found along the Barrio Histórico.

The city borders the arid Atacama Desert, aka the world’s driest place. As if the lunar-like landscape was not enough, the aforementioned “Hand of the Desert”, an 11-meter tall sculpture of a hand reaching up to the stars is located about 60 km from Antofagasta and is surely a must for anyone who is interested in alien experiences.

SIGHTS
• Museo Regional de Antofagasta
• Torre Reloj

ATACAMA
Many travelers end up spending a night in Antofagasta on their way to the more interesting destinations like San Pedro de Atacama, Iquique, and Arica, but a few sights here are worth a look.
Around two in the afternoon the city shuts down most of the streets in the center of town, making for pleasant afternoon shopping and strolling.

Today’s Schedule

Chilean Covid authorities decided that we would only be allowed off the ship on a “Panoramic Bubble Tour” due to our ship having a higher number of passengers who tested “Positive” for Covid. Since we could not get off the bus, here are a few bus window photographs.

We returned to another gourmet dinner in The Restaurant.

The Boutique displayed temptations for the women on the ship.

9:30 Big Screen Movie: The Mosquito Coast The Show Lounge (6)
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and River Phoenix