The clock on the dash blinked flourescent green as we drove away from the bus station last night after dropping off a friend. It's not often that we are in downtown Iquique at that hour, so I found myself observing closely the people and places we passed by. The downtown streets were strangely quiet, but not empty.
On one corner, two women in tight, low-cut clothing chatted as they waited for their nighttime "customers" to show. For all its tourist attraction, Iquique has its dark side and this is one of them. On any given day the "For Sale" ads in the newspaper are followed by - for lack of a better description - "For Rent" ads which carry a woman's name, physical description and price. It is very sobering, and a reminder of the deep spiritual needs of this city.
Another dark side street revealed an interesting scenario. Two unmarked white trucks were parked to one side, back doors open and racks of brand-new clothing inside and on the sidewalk below. A man dressed in a fancy suit stood nearby, seemingly standing guard over his merchandise. It certainly gave a new meaning to those "midnight madness" shopping extravaganzas!
As we exited the downtown area and headed home, the number of people on the streets began to increase. By the time we reached the Cavancha beach area, crowds of men, women and children were thronging the sidewalks as street vendors hawked their wares and the lights of the casino beckoned. Iquique is a late-night city all year long, but never more so than in the summer months which are just beginning.
Our kids, despite already fighting sleep, took it upon themselves to point out the number of children whose parents still allowed them to be up and out at that hour. To their disappointment, Mommy and Daddy were not swayed one bit! Soon enough we had our tired trio home and tucked into their beds - and we weren't far behind.
On one corner, two women in tight, low-cut clothing chatted as they waited for their nighttime "customers" to show. For all its tourist attraction, Iquique has its dark side and this is one of them. On any given day the "For Sale" ads in the newspaper are followed by - for lack of a better description - "For Rent" ads which carry a woman's name, physical description and price. It is very sobering, and a reminder of the deep spiritual needs of this city.
Another dark side street revealed an interesting scenario. Two unmarked white trucks were parked to one side, back doors open and racks of brand-new clothing inside and on the sidewalk below. A man dressed in a fancy suit stood nearby, seemingly standing guard over his merchandise. It certainly gave a new meaning to those "midnight madness" shopping extravaganzas!
As we exited the downtown area and headed home, the number of people on the streets began to increase. By the time we reached the Cavancha beach area, crowds of men, women and children were thronging the sidewalks as street vendors hawked their wares and the lights of the casino beckoned. Iquique is a late-night city all year long, but never more so than in the summer months which are just beginning.
Our kids, despite already fighting sleep, took it upon themselves to point out the number of children whose parents still allowed them to be up and out at that hour. To their disappointment, Mommy and Daddy were not swayed one bit! Soon enough we had our tired trio home and tucked into their beds - and we weren't far behind.
1 comment:
Steph,
The Dakar Race is heading your way in the next few days. You must take pictures! We watch the replay show of it every night. Fantastic race. I'm sure Owen would get a kick out of the motorcycles and huge trucks.
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