Chile Antofagasta 安托法加斯塔智利 – 4/2017 (17)

11-13/4/2017. At the end of seven hours of riding in the desert, after negotiating a few mountains, Antofagasta—a sizeable city of about 600,000 inhabitants—appeared before us. First thing in the morning, I went to the beach to have a peek. It was more beautiful than the previous two, and the water was clearer. The Chile here was still the same Chile, with a dry, dreary desert on one side, the churning, surging water on the other. Man treads where it leads to better things. Their footprints created this beaten path between the desert and the sea, so they not only survive but also bask in the sun and frolic in the water.

I walked along the beach from the morning until 5 p.m. when the sun was about to set. I rested only when my legs complained they were not my slaves. Scene after scene of the beach, the sea, the quiet suburbs, the straight-faced desert, and the cloudless sky—I took all of them in my stride. After a day like this, everything becomes so much clearer. Three days of solitude and silent meditation along the beaches of Arica, Iquique, and now Antofagasta—what a peaceful enjoyment.

In the city, a band of four men sang beautiful lively Spanish songs. I could never have enough of this sensory enjoyment. The beautiful sound, beautiful beaches, beautiful scenery, beautiful people, the good food, life is good, even if it is pursued and surrounded by this encroaching desert.

11-13/4/2017 七小时的沙漠后，最后翻了几座山转了个弯安托法加斯塔 (Antofagasta) 出现眼前。 这是个较大的城市，容纳了六十多万人口。一早先到海滩一睹风采。海滩比前两站美，水也清澈。智利还是老样子，左边板起面孔的枯燥沙丘，右边涌动的海洋，中间是人走出来的一条路。这沙漠好像完全枯死，看不到生气，没风吹，更没草动，天空也没一丝的浮云，而另一边就是像在作乐的太平洋。这是不雨之地，听说用水来自过滤海水。

从早上沿海滩边走边歇，走到下午近五点，海滩还往前延申，但太阳快要下山，我只能折返。这是意外大收获，一个净化消毒的身心享受。一路是一幕一幕的海景，宁静的小区，一言不发的沙漠，不甘寂寞的大海。一天后，觉得都想通了。三天孤身只影在阿里卡，伊基克和这里的海滩悠闲的漫步，毫无目的， 没有追求，多么平静的享受。

在市内，四人乐队在步行街合唱演奏多首西班牙歌曲，轻快动听，美乐飘杨，使人心情大快。一切那么完美 – 美好天气，美妙音乐，美食， 美滩，尽善尽美，此刻此景，人生太美好了。