Our trip to the desert 8-12 October 1999 A most memorable sight on our trip to the northern part of Chile was the Portada. It was the first place we went to see after Artie picked me up at the Antofagasta airport, after we had been apart for nearly two weeks. I returned from my first trip back to the USA a day later than expected because of a canceled flight, and Artie had already left for his business trip in northern Chile You might be able to make out Antofagasta in the distance. It struck me how different the colors were there, all beiges and pinks, with no green anywhere except in landscaping and in these signs! The last rainfall in this city had fallen in 1992.

		Artie is standing in the corridor of our hotel. Our room is through the passage on the left. Don't worry, the rooms have roofs!
		This is the front of the hotel. It along with the rest of the buildings in the town are made of adobe bricks. We did quite a bit of shopping on our trip. Some of it was done in this artisan's alley near the town plaza. This is where Margy bought the hat she is trying on. In the desert with all its sunshine, a hat is very welcome.

		To see more pictures from our trip to the desert, salt flat and geysers.
	If you want to read more about these fascinating areas, check out the LanChile pages on Antofagasta and Calama. Each of these links will open in a new window.
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