Iquique, Chile

3rd February, 2023

This was an extra port of call and I am rather glad it was as it was a big improvement on Arica. I was recommended to download The Voyage of the Beagle by my good friend, John Naylor and Iquique is mentioned when Darwin and the Beagle landed there in July, 1832. In those days it only had about 1,000 inhabitants and had to import absolutely everything. The population has increased to about 200,000 today and its riches came later in the 19th Century from guano and nitrate, though today it relies on being a duty-free mega-zone and tourism. Darwin did visit the nitrate of soda works on his visit advising that in its first year of production, 1830, it had been worth £100,000, a huge sum then.

You can see the evidence of the wealth that ensued in the architecture of the city, which is a rather delightful version of a town in a Western film. The main square is Plaza Prat, named after Arturo Prat, who captained the plucky corvette ‘Esmerelda’ during the War of the Pacific, a replica of which is in the harbour. Apparently he is of Catalan descent, rather than British. Prat rather than Pratt! He died in the Battle of Iquique in 1879 and is commemorated all over Chile.

Val was not feeling 100% due to the ubiquitous cough that seems to have taken hold on board and had decided to remain on the ship, so I was on my own and managed to range over quite a lot of the main parts of the city, including a visit to the ‘Esmerelda’ replica.

I also found the fish market, not difficult use to the aroma. As ever a bustling, loud and smelly atmosphere.

As you can imagine, the fish market attracts more than just tourists….

The intention was to post this in Coquimbo, our next stop, but due to poor Wi-Fi, that has not been possible. So it will go, I hope, in Valparaiso.

Yes, this Valparaiso calling and here we go!