North to Arica

It was time to move in a large step and we booked flights to Arica, 1500km north, from Temuco via Santiago. The alternative was a 42 hour bus journey...hmmm. The prime motive was to go to Arica, the final town in the north of Chile before the Peruvian border but also a place Will Damps visited on a number of occasions. One of the visits was a bungled attempt to sack the town, although Will didn't leave the ship, along with the other 94 tooled up buccaneers hoping for a easy kill. Unfortunately the towns fort was full and the spanish were ready for them. They moored some miles to the south of Arica and made their way into town. They left empty handed and depleted in numbers (down to 48 from 94)after a skirmish near the town culminating in the spanish dropping boulders on them from the cliffs above and peppering them with shot. We walked along what seemed to be the most likely route and it was easy to imagine our hapless group getting into trouble along the hot arid boulder strewn passage coupled with the dark and being chased out of town by the garrison looking for blood.
We put ourselves up in the posh Hotel Arica which included a pool under its list of services...after all it was time for a treat as we say farewell to Chile for the present.
Arica is a small, slightly unremarkable town with a border feel to it but with a beatiful Pacific coast aspect. Crashing waves, rocky beaches with great surfing to the north. Not much to do and less to see but with glorious weather and gorgeous tropical flora and deserts all around. Unfortunately due to its various industries and its total disregard for 'Poo disposal' a lot of the beaches to the south were unusable. We stared at the gorgeous rollers and sand rather crestfallen and went back to the safety of the hotel pool. In town we visited the two sites of interest, both built by Eifel, the church and the Douanes. We went to the Arica/La Paz station which is now defunct but still conjured up images of rather grander days of steam, buffet cars and lengthy mountain passes between great Andean centres of trade.
We booked a bus to Arequipa via Tacna and it is Peru 'here we come', Llamas and all...