Hornitos

Moby's album Play on my iPod accompanied me this morning on my ride into
Mejillones for some extra supplies. It's around thirty clicks each way, so the album about covered the whole way. Today is our second day in Hornitos; we are staying at the Apart Hotel, really a building of departments, the second largest building there. The apartment could comfortably sleep six, we are only two point something and growing.

We left a bit before midday on Saturday, we had the place booked for two nights, although now I think we shall stay for three. Like any journey in the North of Chile this one starts out with a bit of a road trip, albeit by Chilean standards a small one, just a few clicks over eighty kilometres. On the trip we discover the air conditioning is not working, this would be fatal on longer and hotter trips. As it was I rolled down the ‘Window’ air conditioner, and got myself a nice arm tan.

On arrival we notice that the road that runs the length of the beach is now tarmacked, completely, with stop and speed signs and everything. This has completely changed the Hornitos character, but makes it better on your car suspension and shocks; I wonder why they did not do this a few years ago.

At the apart hotel the janitor greets us. A Chilean man of perhaps over forty, fifty or even sixty years old I would say, looking at his leathered face he has done quite a lot of work outside, maybe fishing. Anyway I am sure he does not speak a word of Spanish, he mutters on faster than French TGV, and slurs his words through a Kenwood mixer. It seems Andrea understands him by some miracle and I start to unload the car. It turns out Andrea the native speaker was not quite following the chap; whose name I am sure of we will never know.

The department is big, its got a big veranda at least 10x5m, with of course a view of the beach and ocean. You walk into the kitchen of only modest size and then the lounge, again modest, but it has a large glass dining table. At the back of the apartment there are three bedrooms and toilet. One bedroom with a double bed and the others sleep bunkers. Even though we are only two our stuff is spread out everywhere.

Everything seems to work! The exclamation mark is there to add my surprise at this sentence. We have rented houses before and not everything quite worked. I remember one time we flooded a house with literally a foot of water on the ground floor because of a tank problem. Toilets can also be a bit iffy as well, especially on flushing. This house does not seem to suffer. We even have emergency lamps.

Our toldo has yet to blow down and fail where others have, that'll be because we have a great one, one secured by rocks, no Dad they should not be falling on my head. The beach has proved to be a bit of a disappointment to me in two areas. Firstly it is a bit dirty either by rubish people have left or stuff getting washed up. I have yet to see a beach be washed in Chile. Secondly there is a huge amount of huge jellyfish, how I hate those critters. Other than that it's a lovely long broad sweeping beach, during the summer you have guaranteed sun.

We have of course with thanks to Andreas ever growing culinary skills been eating like royalty on this trip. Pasta, bar-b-que, salads, you name it we have eaten it. Today I think we are bar-b-que'ing chicken. I will have to make sure I go swimming all next week just to shed the pounds I put on these couple of days.

Andrea loves this beach and to see her enjoy a couple of days her before the upcoming laying of the egg is precious to me. A beach like this to a Northern Chilean is like second heaven. ‘La Player’ they say, extending the world for emphasis.

It's earlier morning and U2's All That You Can't Leave behind is the backing track, of course starting with "Beautiful Day", now I am up to "Heaven on Earth". I have a backing track to U2 too; the birds which I have never seen in such number in Hornitos and of course the Ocean, it has been a constant, with us for the last four days, forever crashing, again and again.

Last night:
"Bambino...Bambino!" Andrea hissed with an accompanying nudge.
"Wha?" I say, not really getting the word out.
"There's a funny sound"
I lie still, the fight or flight reflex says ‘do nothing’ I wait in bed. We both listen. I can catalogue the sounds, dogs, ocean, Andrea's breathing, birds and a whole lot of not much else; Andrea’s back sleeping. It takes me a while to settle down again.

There aren't many other places you experience pure darkness anymore, always the lamppost for us city dwellers. Here in Hornitos during the night we have had pure darkness. Last night for example I could not see a thing. No light leaking in from outside, no light from computer LEDs, just absence of light.

Today we are off home. It's been a great few days, getting away from it all. Cell phones off, reading, reading and reading, one of us winning at dominoes. Kisses and looks, love to my wife.

Posted by iwsmith at December 3, 2003 01:26 AM

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