The Norte Grande

Another city, another brilliant few days! Iquique is the furthest north we'll make it in Chile (there's not much further north you can go - it was part of Peru not so long ago). It was nice to be by the seaside again, having come from the gorgeous gorges of Salta and the Atacama desert. At first we thought we´d done a wrong'un with our accommodation: we arrived after an 18-hr bus ride at 2am and it was well and truly party time at the Backpacker's Hostel. Just when our plugged ears had adjusted to the din, a folk show started up in a club opposite and didn't stop til gone 4am. But the following night it was our turn for some fun, and we stayed up drinking red wine and pisco with some guys from the hostel, no doubt keeping several other poor, tired travellers awake.

Iquique's a big holiday destination for Chileans, but we were there out of season (it's autumn now) so the city was bereft of tourists, and especially foreigners - I don't think it features much on the South American gringo trail. As a result, the vibe is a lot more auténtico (but unfortunately still just as expensive!). The city's full of beautiful turn-of-the-century houses made of timber and painted in bright colours. It gives it a Wild West feel, or of a place that's slightly past its prime.

Speaking of which, the highlight of the area for me was a trip to a nearby ghost town. I'd read up on Humberstone before we left and was more excited about seeing a real-life dead town than going to Iguaçu Falls. There are a few ghost towns in the area that were once a big noise in the nitrate idustry - Humberstone 'died' in 1960. It was incredible and eerie to see the school, theatre, swimming pool - even tho local offy's still there, all extremely well-preserved. I got a bit carried away with my camera (especially as I´d just worked out it has a black and white function). This was one UNESCO World Heritage Site worth seeing!

It had been a few weeks since we´d hit some hot springs, and luckily there are a few to choose from in the area. We went to Mamiña - a tiny village two hours from Iquique famed for the therapeutic properties of its water. We weren't banking on being presented on arrival at the first springs with a bucket of warm mud, gathered fresh from...the mud. We slopped it on and waited for it to dry in the sun before getting into the water. You'd pay a fortune for this at home! That said, this was about as rustic as it gets (and the smell of sulphur took some getting used to). We were all alone in our little corner of radioactive mud and smelly water - it was brilliant. The next baths were just that - four tin baths, filled with water (about 42 degrees). Five minutes in, five minutes out. Apparently the water's so property-laden (not to mention HOT) that people have been known to die for languishing about in it too long. Good job we found that out after we'd gone in. As it was, we set off back to Iquique feeling utterly relaxed, and free from skin complaints, spinal pain and arthritis. In perfect condition for another 18-hour bus ride, heading south towards Santiago. First stop, La Serena.