We left Iquique in northern Chile this afternoon on a bus bound for Arica on the Peruvian border. Bus travel is a very convenient, comfortable and affordable way to travel in South America and the bus interiors more closely resemble airliners than the Greyhound buses of North America. Beverages and a meal are served and there are enroute videos to watch in Spanish with Spanish subtitles. Buses are also a good way to see the landscape during the day and to catch a good nights sleep during the night runs, the seats fold down into full size beds that are quite comfortable.
BUT There's a Catch - Chilean Bus Drivers
Drivers in South America view driving as an Extreme Sport and the larger vehicle gets the right of way; unless of course the driver of the smaller vehicle has an ego so huge that it compensates for the smaller mass of his vehicle.
So here's the drive from Iquique to Arica across the Alto Plan (high desert) with not much to see but dust devils, hundreds of miles of sand, the ocassional ghost mining town and one tree (that's right - 5 hours driving and 1 tree) You would think this would be a rather boring 5 hour bus ride but that doesn't factor in the Chilean bus driver.
[attachment 186606 IMG_2134.JPG][attachment 186608 IMG_2136.JPG]
We're come down a two lane highway that has been cut into the side of a mountain at a steep grade, with a steep cliff on the left and 1,000 ft. drop on the right. Up ahead is a transport truck with a full load and he's doing around 80 km/hr but our bus is doing 100 km/hr and the bus drivers in South America make more money the better time they make on the trip - so we have a problem.
[attachment 186609 IMG_2155.JPG]
Our bus driver's solution is to pass the transport truck to maintain speed, the fact that we are coming into a blind turn is no deterrent to our fearless driver, he puts his foot down and our bus accelerates to 120 km/hr.
[attachment 186610 IMG_2156.JPG]
Luck is with us and there is no oncoming traffic coming around the sharp left curve that is now quickly approaching at 120 km/hr, new problem - the bus can take this sharp turn at max 80 km/hr but we're still doing 120 km/hr. No hay problema, hit the brakes!
[attachment 186611 IMG_2158.JPG]
Oh Oh, we just passed and then cut off a fully loaded transport truck in a fully loaded bus and now we have slammed on the brakes which of course causes him to slam on the brakes. The transport truck manages to not hit us and knock us through the guard rail to our deaths 1,000 ft. below on the canyon floor and both vehicles manage to negotiate the sharp curve and continue down the side of the mountain to Arica.
[attachment 186613 IMG_2159.JPG]
Every mile or so along the highway you will notice little shrines like the one in the pic below, these are memorials to the drivers and passengers that weren't so lucky as we were today.
Via Con Dias,
BDA
BUT There's a Catch - Chilean Bus Drivers
Drivers in South America view driving as an Extreme Sport and the larger vehicle gets the right of way; unless of course the driver of the smaller vehicle has an ego so huge that it compensates for the smaller mass of his vehicle.
So here's the drive from Iquique to Arica across the Alto Plan (high desert) with not much to see but dust devils, hundreds of miles of sand, the ocassional ghost mining town and one tree (that's right - 5 hours driving and 1 tree) You would think this would be a rather boring 5 hour bus ride but that doesn't factor in the Chilean bus driver.
[attachment 186606 IMG_2134.JPG][attachment 186608 IMG_2136.JPG]
We're come down a two lane highway that has been cut into the side of a mountain at a steep grade, with a steep cliff on the left and 1,000 ft. drop on the right. Up ahead is a transport truck with a full load and he's doing around 80 km/hr but our bus is doing 100 km/hr and the bus drivers in South America make more money the better time they make on the trip - so we have a problem.
[attachment 186609 IMG_2155.JPG]
Our bus driver's solution is to pass the transport truck to maintain speed, the fact that we are coming into a blind turn is no deterrent to our fearless driver, he puts his foot down and our bus accelerates to 120 km/hr.
[attachment 186610 IMG_2156.JPG]
Luck is with us and there is no oncoming traffic coming around the sharp left curve that is now quickly approaching at 120 km/hr, new problem - the bus can take this sharp turn at max 80 km/hr but we're still doing 120 km/hr. No hay problema, hit the brakes!
[attachment 186611 IMG_2158.JPG]
Oh Oh, we just passed and then cut off a fully loaded transport truck in a fully loaded bus and now we have slammed on the brakes which of course causes him to slam on the brakes. The transport truck manages to not hit us and knock us through the guard rail to our deaths 1,000 ft. below on the canyon floor and both vehicles manage to negotiate the sharp curve and continue down the side of the mountain to Arica.
[attachment 186613 IMG_2159.JPG]
Every mile or so along the highway you will notice little shrines like the one in the pic below, these are memorials to the drivers and passengers that weren't so lucky as we were today.
Via Con Dias,
BDA
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