Day 55 Sunday 18th November: Chile Fan Club

Doug writes:

Today was a day in which we started to develop a warm feeling for the Chilean people after several unprompted acts of kindness to stranded gringos – but more of that to follow

Saturday’s dinner was taken in the Park Hotel Bar, Calama. The Park is, in contrast to anything we saw in Bolivia, a proper hotel with such groundbreaking innovations as a tarmac car park, pleasant and competent staff and hot water in the showers.

We are in the Antofagasta region of Northern Chile which feels to me a bit like 1980s Aberdeen, a businesslike region which generates a lot of wealth from natural resources, in this case mining of Copper, Gold and Silver. Our expedition truck felt a little out of place in a car park  full of red pickups belonging to mining companies and their service companies. We later learned that one of the major mines, BHP’s Escondida, insists that vehicles coming on site are painted red for high visibility, hence red pickups are the thing to have.

Chris and Mike were sent for decontamination following their successful, if messy, efforts to decant roof-tank fuel into the Leviathan’s main fuel tank.

Meanwhile John and I fell victim of the hotel’s cunning policy of handing out a free Pisco sour as a welcome to each new guest. The free ones were rapidly followed by the paid-for variety and a bar menu was summoned, revealing a tempting array of steaks and burgers. Job done; the cultural delights of Calama were ignored, comfort food was ordered and a convivial evening was had at our now-customary table in the bar.

This morning we saddled up and hit the road in good order at 07.40. As today’s treat, John had organised a diversion about half-way down route to be shown round the premises of a David Brown gearbox joint venture which he had established some years ago with a local partner. Our host was to be Robert Skupham, a Chilean mining engineer of British descent who had already sent us several helpful emails describing the mines and other landmarks we would see as we drove along. The sun was shining, the road was good quality, traffic was light. Around us was the stark but impressive scenery of the Atacama desert – what could possibly go wrong?

Well, I have now travelled long enough with these folk to know that we don’t go very far before the metaphorical appearance of a white-coated Top Gear man bearing an envelope containing the latest “challenge”.

This manifested itself about 104 km out of Calama in the form of a big bang from under the bonnet just as we were overtaking an 18-wheeler. We pulled over and opened the bonnet to be greeted by a scene of carnage roughly equivalent to a small hand grenade having detonated in front of our 5.7 litre V8 engine. A cascade of hot, green radiator fluid was bleeding rapidly into the dust from gashes in the radiator and both top and bottom hoses; the engine cooling fan was missing all its blades and the fan cowling was shredded. It was apparent we were going no further today.

Like a bunch of Western gunslingers, mobile phones were un-holstered and contacts were called upon. Our car rental company principal Warren was unable to get any sense from his Bolivian insurance company regarding recovery (well it’s a Sunday after all) but John was able to get through to Robert Skupham who swung smoothly into action, first arranging a tow truck then setting out in his own red pickup to join us.

Meanwhile, however, we were not left to feel lonely in the hot sun. A couple of Chilean motorists stopped to offer help; the second such was a great character by the name of Waldo Perez, an electrical lineman – Glenn Campbell fans will know what I mean.

Ignoring our polite British assurances that help was on its way, Waldo set about performing a get-you-home repair on our radiator hoses using lots of tape and cable ties, pausing only to take the occasional selfie and to regale us with slightly off-colour stories and observations in Spanish, embellished by enthusiastic body language. Example:- Waldo doesn’t think much of Bolivians (male variety) but is very fond of Bolivianas (female) – and for avoidance of doubt demonstrated what he liked to do with the latter..

The truck having been temporarily patched up, Waldo stopped the traffic and waved us on our way – Vamos, helpless Gringos! – and we trundled gingerly 5 km down the road to the service station where by now we had arranged to meet the tow truck. Shortly thereafter Robert arrived in his own red pickup and we got to know each other while waiting for the tow truck and enjoying the cultural highlights of Chilean truck art.

   

 

After a further hour or so Luiz arrived with his recovery truck and the Leviathan was hoisted ignominiously onto its flatbed. The team squashed into Robert’s pickup and off we went, the plan being to press on with our visit to David Brown at La Negra while our truck was delivered to Robert’s house for safe keeping until the garages open tomorrow.

 

We enjoyed the diversion to the David Brown facility

Although Chris had to be restrained from making off with what appeared to be a likely replacement for our shredded cooling fan..

While all this was going on, John’s ex-colleague and Robert’s boss Adam Clarke had booked us into an excellent hotel right on the sea front in Antofagasta. By now we were thanking our lucky stars that this major breakdown occurred here where we knew some people rather than the other side of the Bolivian border.

Back at Chez Robert, which is in a nice area overlooking the ocean on a steep hill, Chris bravely climbed back into the Leviathan to back it off the tow truck and reverse it 100m down the hill under gravity power alone, because by now (and we’re still not sure why) she had developed another flat battery and the engine would not start. With no power steering or brake servo assist this was Chris’s workout for the day..

And so the team find ourselves this evening in the NH Hotel, Antofagasta, once again enjoying a complimentary Pisco Sour, feeling grateful to Robert, Waldo and Adam for their help in our hour of need.

Supercharged by the sea level O2 boost, Mike has gone for a run – impressive – while some of us are washing off today’s road dust and petrol residue with real hot water in a real bath.

Tomorrow we will see what Robert can arrange by way of Toyota repairs. Will the team be able to continue their odyssey? Who knows? – watch this space!