Our first port in the country of Chile was Arica, located in the northernmost point of the country. The capital, Santiago, is halfway down the coast, and the population of the Spanish-speaking country is about 16 million people. This country is long and skinny – half the length of South America. It houses the world’s driest desert, the Atacama. There are huge copper reserves, famous wines, and home to northern Patagonia. It is also known for earthquakes, volcanoes, and the Andean condor. Oh we would die and go to heaven to see one of those magnificent birds. Another favorite is their Pisco Sours, a grape brandy with fresh lime and powdered sugar. We admit they go down easy, and pack a mean punch.
A random fact is that tubers, potatoes, date back 14,000 years ago. Today 99% of European potatoes can be traced back to an island called Chiloe.
The port of call, Arica, has a slogan – “Arica is always summer”. Maintaining a fairly constant temperature, this area is a year-round resort destination of the Chileans. There are 13 ½ miles of beaches with nice resorts and hotels. The city is packed with historical sites such as the Cathedral of San Marco. The iron and wood doors of this church were created by Gustav Eiffel, famous for his works like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Ex Customs House nearby has a long history as well. Museums abound with parks scattered in downtown. But the most prominent feature has to be Morro de Arica, a 456 foot high steep hill with spectacular views over the city and Pacific Ocean.
But first, we needed to board a local shuttle bus that would take us to the port gate, since walking is not permitted in this terminal. It took only 8 minutes, then we had to pass through xray on the way out into the city. It was also mandatory that we pack the declarations forms we filled out prior to arrival, although we were never asked to present them.
There were mini vans with drivers selling city tours right outside the gate for the folks who did not book with Shore Exc onboard. Since we have visited here twice in the past, we decided to see the town on our own. Directly across the street was Parque Vicuna Mackena, a nice tiled avenue full of souvenir tents. Everything being sold was Chilean folk art and typical treasures made here. Prices were very reasonable, although there was nothing we needed.
At the end of the square was the Cathedral San Marcos. Going inside, we forgot to look at the famous doors from Paris. Since it was fairly cool, we decided it would be a good time to find the start of the road up to the hilltop of Morro de Arica. The street was Colon and it immediately went straight up, as in steep. The entrance to the Morro led to a monument called Mirador de la Virgen del Carmen, but there were steeper steps just to access that level. So, one of us decided to relax in the shade, and watch the more able of us to make the hike to the top of the hill. Sometimes it is important to realize limitations, such as going up might be OK, but coming back down could be brutal with a sore knee. And besides we have seen the view twice in the past, and the photos that will be taken today was well worth the wait. Truthfully, visiting with ship folks known to us and new ones, was a lot of fun.
Re-united 40 minutes later, we made our way towards what looked like a market on the free map we were handed in the park. The street market began as a veggie stand, but led to a real pedestrian mall filled with modern stores, cafes, and loads of locals out shopping. It turned out to be a big area of central downtown with side streets full of souvenir stands.
There were not many lunch type places, except McDonalds. It was crowded with customers, and a meal deal cost the equivalent of $5.00 USD. However, with the exception of the souvenir hawkers, no one took US dollars here. It was Chilean pesos, and we had none. One store window advertised that they took all credit cards, which is always good to know. So for that reason, we did not eat lunch out. One of us did buy a leather-like small purse with Incan drawings on it. It will fit a small camera, and is useful.
The ship offered a couple of tours today, but the longest ones were up to 7 ½ hours. It took the folks for a 3 hour drive one way to Codpa village at 6,000 feet in elevation. This is a tour we did back in 2003. Another long drive took people to Putra village, but the elevation is 11,300 feet high. This one came with warnings about the altitude and possible problems with heart and respiratory problems. In other words, don’t do it if you have any of those conditions. A tour not offered because of the distance, was to their wetland sanctuary that houses 147 bird species, in particular, three types of flamingoes. They thrive in salt marshes in the highest valleys. These fertile valleys produce corn, grapes, and olives these days. The olive trees have proven to be a lucrative crop, since the trees are among the hardiest of crop-producing trees in the world.
By 2pm, we headed back for lunch in the Lido. It sure was crowded there, because most of the short tours had gotten back around then, and that is the first stop for the passengers. The pizza has been the best we have tasted this year. The new recipe has produced a lighter weight crust which never gets soggy. We have been successful at keeping the serving to one slice each.
Around 5pm, the cruise director, Hamish, announced that a surprise visit had been made by a group of native-clad entertainers. If we wanted to see it, we needed to go to the promenade deck to watch the band and dancers strut their stuff. What a show they put on. It reminded us of the days when on a grand voyage, locals came out like this in almost every port to give us a royal send off or greeting. With the increased security in most ports, this is becoming a rare event.
Once they departed after getting a round of applause, we made our way to the Seaview deck to watch the sailing out of the harbor. There was no announced sail away here, but there was one in the Crow’s Nest. By the way, chance of rain was in the daily newsletter, but it was dry as a bone all day. In the early morning, there was a heavy fog, but it cleared up once the day advanced.
Watching closely, we spotted seals around the bulkhead of the harbor, then we saw them here, there, and everywhere as they poked their heads up watching us leave. Further away from the coastline, the swarming sea birds gave the location of feeding dolphins away. There is a word for the “ball” of small fish that the dolphins charge from beneath. This is what we believe we were watching. We consider this a treat on top of a fun day in Chile.
Now we have a total of five full sea days to reach Easter Island, also belonging to Chile. We look forward to it.
Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill. There was a party of 10 that were whooping it up. Once they departed, it was really quiet again. The entire meal was excellent as was the service.
Bill & Mary Ann
