Today was due to be another 'driving
day', some 460 km along Ruta 5.
A few km north of Pichdangui, at
Totoralillo, we made our second stop in 2001 S002), and again in 2003 (S109) and
I wanted to check up on how this location had survived (S218
this time). Like most of the Pacific Ocean coast, huge stretches are lost to
tourism with anything from beach huts to large complexes complete with golf
courses popping up like mushrooms on a British autumn lawn.
It is easy to feel sad about the loss
of cactus habitats through such developments, but I guess that at the same time
we should feel happy for the Chileans as the standard of living appears to have
dramatically improved for large numbers of people as a result of this and other
(agriculture and mining) developments.
We should also recognise the tremendous improvements made
to the roads, so that 'cactus exploring / tourism' becomes a much easier option,
open to many more people, like ourselves, rather than to a few intrepid
individuals not afraid to endure some discomfort and risk to see what we now
take for granted.
We were struck by how many more flowers (wild flowers
rather than cacti in flower) were on display than on earlier visits. It was
great to see many 'old friends', cacti that I had photographed on previous
occasions so that I could check their progress - just as I would do with plants
in my collection back home.
Our second stop of the day was at the petrol station at
Termas de Socos (S219),
another stop from 2003. So was this just a nostalgic trip of previous cactus
stops? Not at all. But in our rush to get to Copiapoa Country it is necessary to
drive significant stretches along the Panamericana, while the need for comfort
breaks and refuelling bodies and cars continues, and petrol stations are few and
far between in this part of the world. And while we stretch our legs, we might
as well point our cameras at any interesting plants.
Unfortunately the crested head on one
of the Echinopsis (Trichocereus) chiloensis that we had seen last year
had died and was hanging limply from the surviving base of the stem.
The remaining two stops before reaching Vallenar were
again repeats of previous trips:
S220 was at a lay-by on Ruta 5, just north of
La Serena and S221
at Ruta 5, just south of Los Hornos, where I introduced Alain to his first
Copiapoa (C. coquimbana).
Finding suitable accommodation in Vallenar can be a bit
difficult, but we were happily surprised to see a new hotel, Hotel Takia,
with the wonderful address of Prat 600. In fact, it was so new that we appeared
to be the first guests - the wrappers were still on the beds. The owner spoke
good English - another plus point, as my 'Spenglish' (a Brian Bates term) is
basic in the extreme.
