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The dog stopped barking when he saw me, ran up to me, and gave me a big lick on the leg. He then sat on my lap, trying to lick my face as I relaxed under the trees looking out at the 40 year old eucalyptus tree.

All this green had popped up out of an absolute barren moonscape. Not a blade of grass and then, suddenly, trees and signs of life on the side of the road. Comunidad Gen. An old lady came out of a hut under the trees. She talked and talked in Spanish – happy to see someone. Noone ever comes during the week. Have I seen the chickens, goats, rabbits and ducks? The water for all this is transported from the coast. She has been here from the beginning, and planted that eucalyptus tree 40 years ago. She was proud of the project and happy with life.

It was hot today and the sun was just so strong. Not a cloud in the sky. Nothing but blue sky and bright sand. I would stop under the shade of road signs to put more sunscreen on and had lunch in the shade behind a truck weigh station building.

I passed the Tropic of Capricorn as I was blown forward by a strong tailwind.

I’m in Baquedano – a mining town. It has a bit of a wild west frontier feeling. It’s the last stop before I leave the main road and head towards the small town of Peine – 208km away.