Chile: Iquique

 February 5, 2023, Iquique

Docking was at the commercial dock in Iquique, so we took the shuttle off the dock. Instead of dropping us at the end of the dock, this shuttle dropped us mid-city at the clock tower. The city has a population of 190,000 and has seen better days. Most of the buildings are wooden, painted different hues, weathered to pastels which gives it an attractive appearance despite the shabbiness. 

Clock tower in the main square

This was Sunday, so a lot of places were closed. We came across an open air book market and spent some time browsing there. Most books were in Spanish, but there was a section with other languages, including English. It was interesting to see what they had to offer.

Iquique has a Regional Museum, and as we wandered through some retail street stalls selling various commodities, we happened upon it. There is evidence of habitation in the area as early as 7,000 BC. These people mummified their dead before the Egyptians. The museum had many interesting exhibits and was worth the visit. 

One of the few open-air vendors open this early (about 10 am)

Regional Museum

Ancestors of this fellow were found in this area

Ancient houses at the regional museum

We hooked into the wi-fi at the museum to find someplace to eat. Most of the restaurants that interested us were closed on Sunday, but we found one near the beach that was open, so we headed that way. 

Along the way we happened across a veterinary clinic set up on the pedestrian mall by the local version of the ASPCA. People were lined up with their pets (mostly cats and dogs) to get vaccinations at vastly reduced rates. There were also stray dogs and cats in pens that could be adopted with all their shots. We spent quite a bit of time talking to the volunteers, mostly young adults. It was quite the happening.

Downtown Iquique pedestrian mall

Charlie talking to volunteers at pet clinic

People lined up to get immunizations for their pets at reduced cost.

Chileans seem to love their pets

We found our restaurant inside a surf shop, and ordered pizza and fresh juices. This was definitely part of the slow food movement, but worth the wait. We saw another couple from the ship and visited with them while we waited.

Food porn—our first pizza in many weeks

The gorgeous sand beach was across the street and full of colorful beach umbrellas on a Sunday afternoon. The warning flags were red, indicating caution. Periodically we'd hear a whistle blaring from the lifeguards. We took turns wading in the cold water along with the locals and their dogs, especially an extremely excited dachshund who was having the time of his life. As we left, a man under the canopy next to us spoke in rapid, impassioned Spanish that might have been something about us having different backgrounds but enjoying the beach together. At least we took it that way, and he seemed to be happy to have photos with he and his companions.

Best beach in Iquique

This dachshund had more fun than anyone

Our neighbors at the beach

There is a walkway for several miles along the beach, and we had opportunities to view families with elaborate set ups spending time at the beach. We were thinking of visiting the Esmerelda Museum (a reconstruction of the Esmerelda which was sunk in the harbor during the War of the Pacific). Before we got there, we thought better of it and returned to the clock tower in time to catch a shuttle back to the ship. 

Random photo in Iquique - church steeple