Snow peaked mountains

I was quite happy to leave Antofagasta, there is nothing wrong with it, it just didn't grab my attention.

It was only a short ride to Calama so I took full advantage of an excellent breakfast and headed off at a leisurely pace. To leave I had to retrace my tracks through all the roadworks and diversions.The good thing about the diversions were that they took you through an industrial estate. Not normally an attractive option but there were several places servicing the big mining equipment. I am in awe of this kit as it is simply huge. They had tight security so you couldn't just ride in to their sites, shame as I was hoping to clamber over one and take some pictures. there was no point from outside as the walls were too high.

The desert continued as the previous few days but the mining was much more "in your face". The desert is criss crossed with pipelines, railways and  truck tracks. It made all look rather untidy. You also pass mountainous piles of spoil, literally miles long and very high. All neatly groomed and orderly but not attractive. 

Along the way you pass some broken down old adobe buildings. The sign post explains that these are the remnants of the "War of the Pacific" between Bolivia and Chile which ended in 1904. This war, fought in the Atacama was won by Chile who as a consequence expropriated the region which, until then was Bolivian. This made Bolivia a land locked country and set it on a path to being the poorest country in South America.
I am sure at the time they didn't anticipate the quantity or value of the copper in them there hills!

Being stationed here must have been a virtual death sentence in its own right. It is possibly no coincidence that you pass a prison a few miles later!

Just after I took this picture I was coming up behind a lorry (playing Tortoise and Hare again) and there was an explosion! One of his offside tyres blew in a cloud of acrid smoke and flailing slabs of rubber. Luckily i was still far enough back to weave my way past the remnants of his tyre. He pulled over to the side of the road without any drama (these things have so many wheels).
It's funny, you often see large pieces of truck tyres at the side of the road but never see what happens. Well now I know.One nice thing about the Beamer is that the computer tells your tyre pressues at the press of a button. I spend my life looking at that and the fuel gauge.

I was able to grab a couple of pictures of some Dumper truck Tipper bodies being moved. I can't get over just how big these things are! This one was about to join the main road, where his police escort was waiting.

A little further down the road were two brand new ones waiting at the side of the road (probably for their policeman).

 I just need to get a picture of the wheels and a whole machine to complete my I Spy set!

Just when you are getting accustomed to the desert, the road climbs turning slightly to the right and as you crest the hill you see a beautiful snow topped mountain range.

As always the picture can't give you the sense of proportion but when I saw them it was a "Wow" moment! Partly because i just wasn't expecting them to appear and secondly because they are stunningly beautiful. Looking at the map, they are in the region of 5,000 - 6,000 meters high.

The rest of the short journey in to Calama was looking straight at the mountains and I rode with a silly grin on my face.

Calama has the feel of a Frontier town, it is at the heart of the mining industry and bill boards advertise Perkins Engines, DAF lorries, Hi Lux pick ups and the like. Despite the wealth being created by the copper, it is clearly taking its time to trickle down to the lower levels of the population. It doesn't look like anyone is starving but they ain't getting rich from what i can see.

My rear tyre was not looking very lively and in Antofagasta I was told I would have more chance of finding a tyre in Calama than there. They were correct. I had a name and address to try so I checked in to my hotel and went straight to the bike shop. No, he couldn't help me but he gave me another name & address. After a chat about bikes & how lovely the BMW was, he took a Chile key ring off his shelf and gave it to me as a gift, despite the fact that I was asking him for help! They really are nice people!

I drove over to Calama Firma but he did warn me that they took siesta seriously and wouldn't open until 4:00. I was keen to get the tyre sorted so I bought a bottle of water and waited.

Whilst I waited all the passers by looked at the bike, stopped for a chat or gave a V sign (the polite way round). Then a young couple walked by and wanted their picture taken by the bike, I think she liked the bike more than he did!

At the crack of 4:30 ish they arrived and opened up the shop. They took a look at my rear tyre and said basically " You have been riding too fast on that tyre". Suitably admonished they showed me their selection of tyres and yep they had 3 or 4 to choose from. I explained where I was heading and they recommended the Metzler Kahoot, a good all round tyre apparently (it certainly looks the part). I took the wheel off in the street (very clever design - 5 bolts and it is off, being shaft drive there is no chain to worry about). I gave it to him. His very attractive shop assistant helped with the tyre worn like a hula hoop on the back of his scooter and the wheel between his legs they were off! Whilst they were away i wandered down to the supermarket for some basics  - dry pasta and stir in sauces as I can feel a bit of camping coming on.

Back they came all sorted! I had not asked a price as I wanted a new tyre for the Bolivia/Peru leg no matter what. So I braced myself for a horrible figure for the tyre and fitting...............US$110 all inclusive. I could not buy it for that in England! So the 6 pack of beers I had just bought, went to a decent home and a tip too.