The Best Laid Plans ...

We arrived in Iquique, Chile early this afternoon.  It is very odd to look over the railing and see mile upon mile of desert and mountains, all in the same shades of tan and khaki, without any greenery at all.  Then, plonked in the middle of this stark landscape, rises the city of Iquique.  It developed during the heyday of the saltpetre mining in the Atacama Desert in the 19th Century, and apparently it is now a bustling place with resorts, beaches, casinos, and a chaotic duty-free shopping zone.

We were supposed to take a tour to the ghost town of Humberstone -- a former nitrate refinery center, but unfortunately we were not able to leave the ship!  We are anchored in the harbor, and the swell is too big to make getting on and off the tenders safe, so the Captain suspended all shore service.  This is a view of the city from our balcony -- the closest we managed to get to Iquique!