EP19 Desert ghosts, Chacabuco concentration camp, Hand of the Desert & camping in the Atacama.

I visit Chacabuco, now totally abandoned, formerly a saltpetre boom town, but during the Pinochet dictatorship, an infamous concentration camp for political prisoners. The caretaker there, Señor Walter Robertson, tells me he sees ghosts from both epochs with almost daily regularity, including one of a soldier who committed suicide rather than follow orders to shoot his own brother. Then I ride south, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, meet two bikers on bigger bikes from Antofagasta near the huge Hand of the Desert sculpture, before camping in a ruined "oficina salitrera" or saltpetre plant, called Ruinas Britania. Try not to die laughing when you see my cheap "2 man" tent!

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Translation assistance: Pablo Garcia

Music credits:
"Latin Chouffe" by Merry Jane
"Monkey Song" by Merry Jane
"Panama Hat" music by audionautix.com
Introductory trailer - music clip: "Epic" - "Royalty Free Music from Bensound"

GPX track (including Episode 18 = 431 kms, ridden the same day):
OSM traces: https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Glen%20David%20Short/traces/4094232
GPS Log Labs: https://gpsloglabs.com/share/865286ca8f129decf707dcde3b37b697aa74bbbc/

flame video: Stock Video by Videezy

Видео EP19 Desert ghosts, Chacabuco concentration camp, Hand of the Desert & camping in the Atacama. канала Gringo Loco