Blogs from Arica, Arica & Parinacota, Chile, South America

'Get out of the waves.... Go back to the valley man' These words came back to haunt me when I was Jonny Utah for the day. George Evans where are you now? George was a young man I used to work with and who, during long night shifts. used to bring in films to watch. (and no, not the ones with Ron Jeremy, mores the pity). One film we all loved was Point Break with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves, who played FBI agent Jonny Utah. A classic from the 1980's set around the surfing community. who happen also to be bank robbers. Dressed in masks of former presidents of the USA, Jonny had to learn to surf ... read more

Before I start my musings I am sending much love to Ainsley Reynolds, my cousin in law ( if there is such a word, who has had a traumatic couple of weeks and is now home resting after surgery. Speedy recovery Ainso and see you on the beach for Sangria and Jonny SaTrinxa. (and maybe a smidgen Pasha) xx Sunday . So fare well Iquique. You were wonderful but it is now time to cross into the last of the 12 regions of Chile to the city that lies on the border with Peru, Arica.Most ... read more

Despite the extremely small town of San Pedro, we were able to book Tur Bus to Calama and then Tur Bus again to Arica. We had an 8:30 PM bus out of San Pedro. We arrived in Calama at 10:00 and stayed at the station unti our 11:20 bus to Arica. The ride to Arica was 8 hours. It was another semi-cama. This time the driver did not stink, but the road did. For the first couple hours we were on a rutted dirt road that was totally washed out. So, yet again, very little sleep. We arrived in Arica bright and early, about 7:30. Arica is a border town with Peru, so it was our last stop in Chile. We became a little nervous at the bus station when everything was closed. It was Sunday, ... read more

I´m a logistical person as you have probably gathered from my blogging style. I tend to blog more about little things that happen and how we get places than described in detail how incredibly cool the places are that we go. Sarah does a better job with that kind of stuff. So, in sticking to the logistical stuff, here are some other notes that may be of interest to some. Climate - Chile and Argentina have been similar in temperature to September back in the States. Mid 60´s most of the time with variations on the higher and lower end. For the most part, it hasn´t gotten below the 40´s at night even in the coldest places. So, what do you wear? - me, I have been in a short sleeve shirt and occassionally throwing on ... read more

So, what do we eat down here? The food in South America has not been what we expected to this point and it deserves a blog of its own. Let me start by saying that Sarah has an uncurable hunger. Before finishing lunch she is on to thoughts of snacks and ultimately dinner. She just read over my shoulder and said I can say more, "I am hungry all the time. ALL THE TIME. I am thinking about it all the time. What to eat when I wake up. Snack before breakfast. Breakfast. Snack after breakfast...I mean, I am hungry right now (we just ate breakfast)..." She went on and on. Me, I have been hungry once or twice on the whole trip. It is a really weird shift. I do not know which is more ... read more

We have finally made it into Chile! However, since my last post we´ve had a few extra obstacles to overcome than expected. We left Cusco last Sunday night for an overnight bus ride to Arequipa. We arrived at our hostel, Wild Rover, an Irish run hostel, around 11am which gave us the day to explore. The city was very busy and nothing too special, however back at the hostel everybody we talked to seemed to have loved Arequipa. We had to leave early the next morning for our next stop, so we will never know what was so amazing about the city of Arequipa. We woke up early the next morning for our bus to take us to Tacna, which is the lowest city of Peru and its before you cross the border into Chile. As ... read more

So, about three weeks late, I have decided to update my travel blog, just in case anyone was worried about me. You have no idea how much effort it has taken for me to finally get around to writing this… I've spent the last two and a half busy weeks in Arica, a small city on Chile's Pacific Coast just south of the frontier with Peru. Staying with a local family was a brilliant experience as it allowed me to become truly immersed in local culture. Plus it was a chance to improve on my Spanish. Arica itself is an unusual place. Although now in Chile, it has previously been owned by both Peru and Bolivia, the latter of which still claim ownership, leading to frequent disputes between the governments. The temperature fluctuates between 20-30 degrees ... read more

The way north to Arica took us two days, spending the night at a beach close to Antafogasta. Staying in Arica felt really like going on a vacation. We met really nice guys from New Zealand and David from Germany, which pushed the surfing a little bit (thanks for that by the way)! Had some pretty relaxed days, nice BBCs and made plans for Peru...... read more