Slower day than usual today. The sun, the wind, the long distances traveled are taking a bit of a toll on our aging bodies, so our travels this day only took us a further 200 kilometers north, to the town of Chañaral.
Route 5, the main and practically only highway running the length of the country north to south, hugged the rugged coastline along this tract. It’s hard to conceive how the desert can end right at the ocean, with no break in between, but that’s how it is in these parts, making for some dramatic views.
We stopped, as planned, at the town of Bahia Inglesa, a small dot on the map, but with a somewhat lively atmosphere and wonderful beaches. It was a lovely break of several hours, and we had our best meal to date, all fish based.
One extensive, unpopulated beach had more shells than you could imagine, to Diane’s contentment.
Having stayed only in hotels up to now, we were looking forward to having a house to ourselves for the night, which we had booked in advance. It sits high on a hill, affording a spectacular view of the Pacific coast. It was also a great place to unwind and read a book; a simple joy to be had.
Tomorrow the drive will be long, we need all the rest we can get.
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