Arica is bordered by desert sand dunes and fertile valleys fed by the melting and life-giving snows of the Andes, this city is located in the heart of some culturally fascinating attractions. Known as the “City of the Eternal Spring” Arica was founded in 1570, Arica is Chile’s fifth-oldest city and a commercial gateway for neighboring Peru and Bolivia. It is a city rich in heritage and home to both a splendid neo-Gothic church with wrought-iron details designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1876 and to pre-Columbian treasures from the Chinchorro culture dating back to 5,000 b.c.
We arrived late in Arica = 1230pm and our group of 7 headed out to get on the free shuttles because you cannot walk on the pier at all . . . to what we thought to be awaiting w/c taxi van. Not!
Our tour company is Joanne Duncan C of ~
http://www.andeanduncantours.blogspot.com/
andean_duncantours@vtr.net
Tel: 56-58-314829
Cell: 09-5258095
Since the ship was late gave our w/c van to someone else so we had to wait about 45 minutes for another w/c taxi van.
While we waited, we all sat on a low wall facing El Morro ~ the symbol of the city & took pictures ~ of a huge rock mountain with a statue of Christ (15 tons & 10 meters high made of bronze by a Chilean sculpture Raul Valdivieso on top. We could see Saint Mark’s Cathedral from our perch across the main square where several handicraft tents were selling their wares until the van arrived.
Annie, Allan & Shirley climbed in the back row of 3, Jeanette and Jean & Graciela our guide got in the next 3 seats, The driver and I assisted Ruth into the front 3rd row of seats & I helped lift the scooter in beside her on the rest of that seat, while the driver and I got the 2 front seats & then we were off!
We passed the fish meal market on the right and the international market on the left and the Casino, the University, the famous fluvial ship which withstood 2 tsunamis, and the Bird Sanctuary at the mouth of the of the Lluta River on our way to the Lluta valley.
Along the dusty road we veered off and drove over what looked like a rock road called “Colcas de Huaylacan” (Underground deposits for storage) where Chileans in 1100 – 1500ac had once dug deep holes near the riverbed to keep things cool & fresh and deposited things like corn, manioc, squash, sweet potatoes, dehydrated alpaca meat, potatoes & quinoa from the antiplano. They would also keep their tools, clothes & decorative items there.
We continued along this road getting closer and closer to the Desert Mountains until we turned into a working goat farm.
It is such a dichotomy from this lush green area to the Sandstone Mountains looming ahead.
We left the goat farm and headed for the Poconchile (pre Inca town and 17th century adobe church) and then began to climb the Pampas “Quebrada del Diablo” (high plateau) where we began to see spectacular views below of green valleys against the very high desert mountains.
As we drove our guide passed around different containers of foods specific to Chile for us to look at & or try, including their version of popcorn, quinoa and two different varieties of Olives, cocoa leaves used to help prevent high altitude sickness & are high in caffeine and freeze dried potatoes.
We drove up & up the dry & treacherous zig zag roads to the top and then down the other side and made our way to what Ruth kept asking for – where are the geoglyphs?
We stopped to view Cerro Sagrado (Sacred Hill) Geoglyphs & Tropilla (Caravan of Llamas) Geoglyphs both 1000 - 1400 a.c.
Once we were finished taking pictures we headed for the Chilean Agro ~ an Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market ~ filled with a multitude of produce from the Azapa valleys and also a great variety of olives.
We ended out tour right where we began ~ across the street from El Morro and all of us headed over to the handicraft market.
*FYI - There are no services available at this pier ~ not even a Bathroom.
*FYI ~ Ed Chan & Bonnie Low left us today at = 4pm for San Francisco & Betsy and Ken Wong stayed aboard the ship to enjoy the cruise. They sat at a very, very empty table in the dining room tonight as most of us got back late from our tours.
We joined them Sat night March 7th and found we now have a full table of 10!
Ray, Toni, Naomi, Al are new & Joan, Freda, Ruth, Betsy, Ken and Grace.
Again, we have a delightful table full of wonderful new friends!
We arrived late in Arica = 1230pm and our group of 7 headed out to get on the free shuttles because you cannot walk on the pier at all . . . to what we thought to be awaiting w/c taxi van. Not!
Our tour company is Joanne Duncan C of ~
http://www.andeanduncantours.blogspot.com/
andean_duncantours@vtr.net
Tel: 56-58-314829
Cell: 09-5258095
Since the ship was late gave our w/c van to someone else so we had to wait about 45 minutes for another w/c taxi van.
While we waited, we all sat on a low wall facing El Morro ~ the symbol of the city & took pictures ~ of a huge rock mountain with a statue of Christ (15 tons & 10 meters high made of bronze by a Chilean sculpture Raul Valdivieso on top. We could see Saint Mark’s Cathedral from our perch across the main square where several handicraft tents were selling their wares until the van arrived.
Annie, Allan & Shirley climbed in the back row of 3, Jeanette and Jean & Graciela our guide got in the next 3 seats, The driver and I assisted Ruth into the front 3rd row of seats & I helped lift the scooter in beside her on the rest of that seat, while the driver and I got the 2 front seats & then we were off!
We passed the fish meal market on the right and the international market on the left and the Casino, the University, the famous fluvial ship which withstood 2 tsunamis, and the Bird Sanctuary at the mouth of the of the Lluta River on our way to the Lluta valley.
Along the dusty road we veered off and drove over what looked like a rock road called “Colcas de Huaylacan” (Underground deposits for storage) where Chileans in 1100 – 1500ac had once dug deep holes near the riverbed to keep things cool & fresh and deposited things like corn, manioc, squash, sweet potatoes, dehydrated alpaca meat, potatoes & quinoa from the antiplano. They would also keep their tools, clothes & decorative items there.
We continued along this road getting closer and closer to the Desert Mountains until we turned into a working goat farm.
It is such a dichotomy from this lush green area to the Sandstone Mountains looming ahead.
We left the goat farm and headed for the Poconchile (pre Inca town and 17th century adobe church) and then began to climb the Pampas “Quebrada del Diablo” (high plateau) where we began to see spectacular views below of green valleys against the very high desert mountains.
As we drove our guide passed around different containers of foods specific to Chile for us to look at & or try, including their version of popcorn, quinoa and two different varieties of Olives, cocoa leaves used to help prevent high altitude sickness & are high in caffeine and freeze dried potatoes.
We drove up & up the dry & treacherous zig zag roads to the top and then down the other side and made our way to what Ruth kept asking for – where are the geoglyphs?
We stopped to view Cerro Sagrado (Sacred Hill) Geoglyphs & Tropilla (Caravan of Llamas) Geoglyphs both 1000 - 1400 a.c.
Once we were finished taking pictures we headed for the Chilean Agro ~ an Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market ~ filled with a multitude of produce from the Azapa valleys and also a great variety of olives.
We ended out tour right where we began ~ across the street from El Morro and all of us headed over to the handicraft market.
*FYI - There are no services available at this pier ~ not even a Bathroom.
*FYI ~ Ed Chan & Bonnie Low left us today at = 4pm for San Francisco & Betsy and Ken Wong stayed aboard the ship to enjoy the cruise. They sat at a very, very empty table in the dining room tonight as most of us got back late from our tours.
We joined them Sat night March 7th and found we now have a full table of 10!
Ray, Toni, Naomi, Al are new & Joan, Freda, Ruth, Betsy, Ken and Grace.
Again, we have a delightful table full of wonderful new friends!
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