ARICA, CHILE

Todays adventure was to explore and focus on the archeological sites of Arica.  

The tour arrangements for today were handled by my new friend Darla Bernard from New York.  She selected Raices Andines  as the tour operator.  I had done some early research on this  company prior to signing up with Darla and was pleased to see it was highly recommended on Viva Travel Guide Chile and also on Trip Advisor.  I read each of the 15 reviews on Trip Advisor, which rated this company 4 out of 5 stars.  I was looking forward to meeting Orlando, the owner of the company as his name was positively mentioned in almost every post.  In all but one of the reviews Orlando was the tour guide and he received numerous accolades.   In addition, Darla had selected a company whose office was right in Arica so I felt that was another plus.

Our ship docked at a working port again so we were not allowed to walk off the pier.  As soon as Darla gathered the group together, we left the ship, boarded the free NCL shuttle, and were quickly transported to the dock gates.  Our van was scheduled for a 9am pickup and arrived right on time.  Unfortunately our tour guide was not Orlando but instead, a young man named Nicholas.   I quickly assessed that Nicholas was very inexperienced as a tour guide.  I actually had the feeling that this was his first tour so at our first stop I asked him what his connection was to the owners of the company.  He confirmed that he had just recently moved into the area, was just learning and that he was, in fact, related to the owners.  Unfortunately for us, he lacked some of the basic skills needed to be an effective tour guide. 

Just getting into our van proved to be a challenge.  We had a small group, I believe the total was 14.  I consider myself a relatively thin person with a body mass index of only 18%.  I am 5’9” however and getting into this van proved difficult for me.  Not only were the seats very narrow but my legs jammed against the seat in front of me.  I found them to be smaller than any airline seat I had ever been in.  This made for somewhat of an uncomfortable ride for the day. 

Our first stop would be at Del Morro de Arica and Museum.   It was a relatively short drive from our pickup point to the top of the solid rock hill where Del Morro resides, about 450 feet above sea level, affording stunning views of almost 360 degrees.  During our drive, Nicholas did little in the way of narration or prepping us for our arrival.   After we arrived I actually had to ask Nicholas how long we would be here and then disseminated that information to the others on the tour. 

Morro de Arica was the last stance of the Peruvians during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) and was captured on June 7, 1880 by the Chilean troops.  From the top of the hill your line of sight can follow the coastline north and take in views of Peru. 

Entrance to the museum

View looking north to Peru

As we entered the war museum we noticed a ticket booth but no one to collect money so we simply walked in.  Mostly comprised of various uniforms and cannons from the 19^th century, this is worth going into if you enjoy military history.   

As we came out of the museum we ran into friends from the ship who had decided to hike up the hill.  The paved footpath visible from anywhere in town starts at the south end of Calle Colón.  They say to allow 10-15 minutes for walking up. 

Even though our van was small, Nicholas did not use a microphone and because he was very soft spoken it made his few remarks very difficult to hear.   Even when we would ask him questions he normally had to ask the van driver the question first and then reiterate the answer. 

On our way to our second stop Nicholas made the following statement “Arica has a population of 200,000 along with 30,000 dogs.  We receive only 5 milliliters of rain per year making this the driest desert on earth.”  Having lived in the Sinai Desert of Egypt for 3 months and also having visited Lebanon, I found this hard to believe so I did a little checking online.  Live Science online lists Dry Valleys, Antartica as the driest place on earth with 0 rainfall.  Nicholas was close however, Arica is listed as #2 with 0.761 mm (0.03 in) per year.   Egypt was down the list at the #4 spot and Lebanon wasn’t in the top 10.   

 

Second stop was the Asoagro Farmers Market, the local fruit and vegetable market.  Here we took 20 minutes to walk through the market.  On a walk through the alleys you can get to know the different kinds of fruits and vegetables that grow in the fertile valleys of the region (like the black olives of Azapa) and also the products that are imported from the neighboring countries.   I found it extremely clean and organized compared to other markets I have been in.   If you need to use the restrooms here be sure you take along some change.  Before you enter you will find a man sitting in a booth to collect your $1.50 chillean pesos.  Not only does this get you in the restroom but you will also receive a nice supply of toilet paper.

Olives, olives and more olives in the market

Rows and rows of produce

Meat counter in the market

Next stop were the geoglyphs of La Tropilla.  If a stop here represents your first geoglyph site then it is probably very impressive but I didn’t find this one that amazing.  It is quite close to the side of the road however, making it easy to view.   Originally Nicholas said these were over 1,000 years old but after questions about what good shape they were in he conceded that they were ‘restored’ in the 1980’s.   For about 2.5 miles, there are approximately 14 panels of geometric, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic rock designs scraped and chipped into the mountainsides. One hill displays a caravan of llamas with its guide and two dancers, presumably representing the traders connecting the coast and highlands.  Our guide joked that these geoglyph sites were used for navigation and advertisement. 

Obelisks marks the sites for the geoglyphs

Geoglyphs just outside Arica

As we left the geoglyph site I spotted an advertisement for Club de Golf Río Lluta.  Being a golf enthusiast I really wanting to make a detour to check out this 18-hole, Par 72 course composed entirely of sand.  Time didn’t permit however, so we drove on. 

The fertile Valle de Azapa

Our next stop would be at the San Miguel de Azapa Museum.  On our way we would drive through the Valle de Azapa.  This is the most renowned olive producing region of Chile, with groves dating back to the 17th century. In recent decades, farmers have also been growing tomatoes and tropical fruits like mangos, maracuyas (passion fruit) and guayabas (guava).  This valley has been inhabited by humans for several millennia. 

The first visitors to the area, the Chinchorro people, have left behind some of the oldest known mummies in the world.  These are currently on display at the Museum.  There is a small entrance fee to the museum but it was included in our tour price.  The museum has excellent chronological displays from the first human settlements 10,000 years ago to the colonial olive plantation that once thrived on these grounds.  On exhibition are the oldest mummies yet uncovered and very fine weaving from later periods. 

Mummies lined up like visiting a morgue

At the end of the museum road you will find a private floral and hummingbird farm Refugio Floral del PicaFlor de Arica and Floral ReFuge of Arica’s Hummingbird.  I spotted a total of only 5 hummingbird but many, many different types of plants and flowers, along with a lone Alpaca grazing carelessly untethered.   This is a private home and we met the owner who has been living and working on the property since 1966.  Around every corner is an eclectic collection of items from mirrors to sofas to old typewriters.  Truly a unique place to visit.  

 

On our return trip to the ship we made a brief stop at Comedor Rural Restaurant in Punto Chile https://www.facebook.com/pages/Comedor-Rural-Puro-Chile/146150818864300

for olive and cheese tasting.  We were escorted to outside seating at the back of the restaurant where we were confronted with a caged ostrich.  As we were waiting to be served, 2 local men sitting a couple tables away kept yelling questions in our direction.  I finally got up and walked to their table, asking my Spanish speaking friend Marci to join me.  These were local construction workers, one of whom spoke relatively good English and was delighted that he could ‘practice’ his English on us.  I found it interesting that he was familiar with Oregon and in particular, Eugene.  He indicated he had been to Eugene when one of his children decided to attend school there. 

Locals engaging in English conversation

 

Our samples finally arrived and we were able to taste 5 different types of cheeses which included goat cheese, cow cheese, cheese with basil and cheese with peppers.  We also tried some local olives which I found to be very tart and unappetizing, though several in the group thought they were delightful. 

 

Our drive back to the ship took approximately 30 minutes and took us by the coastal shoreline.  I was surprised that there were so few people on the beach but Nicholas commented that the water here is fairly cold.