Today I wake up late and take a Pullman Bus, leaving Iquique around 10AM towards Antofagasta on the costal road. In the early afternoon the bus reaches my point and I start walking across the flat desert towards the mountain, where I usually take off. The plan is the soar up in the afternoon, land on top before sundown and sleep up there to start tomorrow morning from the mountain at a height of about 1.160 m asl. Although the dust in the flat shows the wind towards the mountain face in looks like a not reliable soaring day. About theee weeks ago, the soaring up here was just perfect, about two weeks ago, the soaring up here was non-satisfying, having to land into the middle of the sloop at around 750 m asl, after having walked up to around 530 m asl., so I watch very critical, if it would pay off to unpack and pack and I decide to use my feet instead of trying to soar up, which I suppose would rather not work today. I enjoy the hike up there a lot, although soaring up is surely nicer. With dawn I arrive at the top plateau and build my sleeping place. Out of my sleeping bag I can phone via internet with my loved ones at home - some years ago, you even were not able to receive a radio program at the road underneath, if you had left Antofagasta for some kms - the times, they are changing … in Chile rather faster than elsewhere …
