Following our return from the May trip to the U.S., we didn't do any traveling until a couple of weekends ago. We traveled 2 hours west to the coastal community of Tocopilla and then south down the coast to Antofagasta. We didn't see much in the form of vegetation nor people. We stayed at a Radisson on the coast in Antofagasta for an amazing $82. Had another great ocean view from our room. After making a quick stop at the grocery store (Jumbo) in Antofagasta the following morning, we headed southeast on a quest to locate a sculpture of a hand that we had heard about. Its purpose is to great the travelers coming to and leaving Antofagasta -- pretty interesting!
My translation of the sign at the site was that it is either called the Hand of the Desert or Desert Hand? Anyway, it was constructed by a Chilean scupture (Mario Irarrazabal) from iron and cement to greet travelers coming to and from Antofagasta.
FYI: Double click on the collage to see the pictures better. Next post: We had a visitor in Calama!
The expat students attend Chilean school half day and the "international" school the other half. The four students have three instructors. These instructors recently planned a field trip to the small, historical village near Calama (Chiu-Chiu) and invited the moms and me. We had lunch at a local restaurant before visiting the sites.
Larry and I had previously visited Chiu-Chiu when we took Flat Stanley on a tour but we didn't walk around the back side of the San Francisco Church which is where we found a small cemetery.
Upon leaving Chiu-Chiu we drove to the Laguna Inca Coya. Legend has it that a local girl fell in love with a Inca noble and had a son. The Inca noble traveled north with the promise that he would return. When the young woman learned he had married a princess, she threw herself and child into the lagoon. The name, Inca Coya evidently means "Inca Bride." That is San Pedro and San Pablo in the background.
I spotted this little fellow and loved mom's means of helping him learn to walk.
The valley where Chiu-Chiu lies is perfect for growing carrots. Here the carrots are being washed before going to the "feria."
