6th Nov. 2016
The plan today is to go to Bahia Inglesa which is about 7km away. When we first started planning our trip this was one of the first places on our itinerary as recommended to us at the Destinations Show some 20 months ago. The first thought was to try and hire bikes but we could not find anywhere to do this.
Second thought was to catch a collectivo which we understood to run frequently between the two towns. However there were no little white minibus collectivos to be seen at the marked bus stop. Surprisingly, the tourist office, which was supposed to be shut was actually open, so we asked there and were sent down to the sea front.
After sitting around for five minutes still none appeared. We then noticed that some of the black cabs actually said collectivo on the roof sign rather than taxi, so we flagged one down. So for £1 each we climbed in and were soon being dropped off in Bahía on the sea front. Easy in the end.
What a pretty little bay, quite sheltered with a sandy beach. The currents along this part of the Chilean coast can be quite strong and here it is quite safe to swim in the shallow waters. We however decide to delay any swimming until after lunch. We wandered over the rocks and were treated to a group of pelicans sunning themselves.
The other mission we had here was to visit a tour office to book a trip to Pan de Azúcar tomorrow to see Humboldt penguins, as we did not find anywhere in Caldera to book. Well, we found the office we were looking for but it did not open until 4:30. While we deliberated another couple came looking and rang the phone number on the door, to find the next trip was on Tuesday, which was too late for us. Bahía Inglesa is far more touristy than Caldera and there were a number of fish restaurants along the front, so being radical for us we had a large lunch, I had fish and chips and Dave had prawn risotto, both very tasty.
As it had clouded over I decided to test the water before committing to a swim. It was cold, so paddling was sufficient for me. That Humboldt current is making its presence known. Dave just watched and photographed. The locals were far more adventurous and seemed to be enjoying messing about in the water. Having exhausted the excitement of Bahía Inglesa we headed back to Caldera.
Our trusty Lonely Planet guide talks about a boat trip to the lighthouse and to see penguins leaving from the jetty in Caldera. That would have to suffice as we were not going to get to Pan de Azúcar. The only problem was that out of season it only ran at the weekend and the last trip was 5:30pm so it was a case of drop everything and head out again. Well we found the ticket office but it was shut and did not look like it had been open for a few years! We saw the boat Ecotour II but it was moored offshore. Having hung around until 5:15 it was obvious that there was nothing doing. No penguins today, so we headed to the fish market to take some more pictures and contended ourselves with sea lions.
We fancied pizza for supper and so looked for the take away shown on Trip Advisor, only to find it did not exist. There was a second one further out of town so we headed there via the cemetery, only to find it did exist but was shut! Back to 1850 Restobar then, as it was one of the few places open and we had enjoyed our fish stir fry yesterday. With the limited menu we tried the meat stir fry but it was not as good as yesterdays stir fry. All in all a bit frustrating today but at least we achieved the main objective to see Bahía Inglesa.