Blogs from Arica & Parinacota, Chile, South America - page 8

El Museo Azapa de San Miquel We decided to go see the pre Columbian museum in the Azapa Valley, The trip out was interesting as we wound through olive orchards which survived on well water in the arid climate. Azapa de San Miquel is a wee village nestled within the purple valley walls where the museum is housed in a new impressive building surrounded by beautiful gardens with rock art scattered around. The artifacts within the museum are from 6000 years ago right up to the Spanish Independence, full of beautiful fabrics, fascinating tools and a huge olive press in the exit. We wandered up towards town to eat having lunch in a restaurant ominously named Picos de Mueritos (picks of the little dead) Their pork Sunday dinner is designed to feed hungry rugby players with ... read more

Hello happy readers! We've been in Arica for more than a month now and we're starting to feel how the travelling nerv is itching again. So I'm here to summarize this past month and the trips we've made. But firstly I'd like to say a few words about Arica. Arica is a quite small but very charming city located in the very north of Chile, by the sea and with the dry desert surroundig it. Valleys, such as the Azapa Valley, stretch out from the outskirt of the city. There you can find many producers of olive oil that is exported to an impressive amount of countries around the world. The tourists come to Arica mainly for the beaches. There are many different beaches on different distances from the city centre. Closest is Chinchorro, a wide ... read more

Mesto a pristav v pousti, kde nikdy neprsi, ale velke vedro tam nikdy neni. Celorocni teploty jsou mezi 18-26 stupni. Jedno z mala mist v Chile, kde se da koupat bez neoprenu. Arica je zrejme mistem dovolene pro chudsi, zatimco Iquique 200 km jizne je se svymi hotely luxusnejsim primorskym letoviskem. Na jeden den se jdeme placnout na plaz, pujcime si surfove prkno a obema se nam podari nekolik 50ti metrovych jizd ve stoje. Asi hlavne proto, ze konecne mame vhodne prkno pro zacatecniky. Mirka si jedna rodinka dokonce vyfotila :). Pres usilovne mazani se opalovacim kremem se Mirek pripali na cele a krku a ja po usnuti ve stanu s nohama venku mam spalene nohy od kolen po narty. Druhy den se misto na plaz jdeme podivat na mumie a odjizdime do destive Bolivie. ... read more

Only a very short bus ride to Arica: 4hrs! Mind you it was pretty featureless, apart from the rocks by the side of the road arranged into words; I only wish I knew what they said! I figured one out.. But then again it was an advert for a rather well known drink. On leaving Iquique the road climbed a huge barren hillside; I was expecting mountains, but it turned out to be a plateau. Closer to Arica we dropped into a big valley - finally some colour and vegetation, but not a lot! I was one of three passengers on the bus, this made us equal with the staff! On arrival I walked to the hostel; just in time to get the last bed. Next day dawned sunny (no surprises there), and I wandered into ... read more

ATM’s: Again Trouble Makers After crossing the border with Chili I took the bus to San Pedro de Atacama. It is a small town and very touristy. While I was sitting at a terras in front of the restaurant having a coffee I started talking with people who were sitting on the next table. They were very friendly people from Santiago and nice to have a chat with. To escape Santiago city life and to relax they decided to stay for a week in San Pedro. Suddenly there was a girl standing next to my table. She appeared from nowhere and I was surprised. Like an angel. She was from Holland as well and later we had something to eat in a restaurant. She lived until she was eight in Columbia and then moved to Holland. ... read more