Chilling in Chile: Chapter 1, Arica & Iquique

January 7-9

Time Change Ahead

When we left Peru and entered Chile, the time went forward 2 hours, which made for a hard first morning.

We started our time in Chile late to port in Arica, which turned out fun because we got to see pods of dolphins playing and swimming by.

As we got closer to the port, there were dozens of jellyfish floating by. There were so many, I’m a little concerned for the other marine life here. Do jellyfish sting seals?

It was late enough in the day that Angela, Steve, and I decided to wander around town. While it isn’t huge, Arica is big enough to spend a little time wandering.

A few stalls were set up to catch us fresh off the boat and their prices were in US$.

The Odyssey was spoilt with shuttles in Arica. There were 5 busses that were designated for us at all times. As soon as one person got on, they would drive them to the entrance and then wait there for a passenger heading back to the boat. Several times, I was the only person on board the bus.

The port we aren’t allowed to walk on. Smelt very much like bird poop. All the grey dots and dashes in the sky are birds.

Since it was right outside the port gate, we quickly found the main square where the cathedral sits. There was also an ATM nearby that allowed us to get some local currency. The rate is about 70,000 pesos to $100 CAD or 700 to 1.

Drainpipe gargoyles look like the dragon form the Neverending Story

From the square, we could also see the Ex Aduana/Casa de la Cultura de Arica, Gobernacion Maritima de Arica, Gobernacion de Arica, and the Morro de Arica.

With cash in our wallets, we headed down a shopping street. If anything, this city is filled with shopping and murals/graffiti. It seemed like every few buildings I was stopping to take a picture of art.

A lot of the work was unsanctioned graffiti.

After wandering up and down streets for a couple of hours, I left the others to their shopping and started to make my own way back to the ship. It was daytime and I felt very safe.

Check out all those bird-lined boats. The smell of guana was strong.

That night, our boat was hosting the 100th day of boarding, and those who got on in Belfast spent their 100 might on the Odyssey. Since I got on in Lisbon, my 100 night (if you ignore the Peru trip) will be on the 19th when we are cruising the Chilean Fjords.

Sunset and the party at Mike’s bar in the distance.

The next morning, I decided to head out early before anyone else was ready and made my way to Mirador Del Cerro La Cruz before heading up the road to look at Arica Siempre Arica. I must admit both look better from a slight distance.

Sign showing where each dirt trail will lead you

To continue my tour, I climbed the Morro de Arica, a hill overlooking the port and city.

View of the coast from the top of the Morro de Arica

On Morro de Arica is a small museum of history, cannons, a giant Chile flag, and the Cristo de la Concordia de Arica. Inside the Cristo is a chapel.

Cristo- It is big enough to have a small chapel in the base.

The museum is mostly underground, only the entrance is visible here.

On the way back down, the very steep path is another lookout, Mirador De La Virgen and the Museo de Sitio Colon 10.

Start of the steps that lead to the path up.

There are several museums here that I chose not to visit, including two that have Chilean mummies. Mummies, for some reason, freak me out so I didn’t go in.

Here are a couple of cats hanging out instead of mummies.

Heading back into the center, I passed several more murals and historical buildings, Casa Bolognesi and Espacio Cultural La Novia. Here I found a map of the interesting sites. Wish I had seen this earlier.

Map of the historical area. There was a QR code and website that no longer work.

Later that evening, there was an announcement that a group of performers would be on the dock to put on a little farewell show for our sail away. We’ve had small groups on board or when we arrived, but this was a first for leaving.

Our next Chilean Port is Iquique. I have no idea how to say it, but I find it fascinating, even unique – lol.

It is known for beaches and shopping. There also is an abandoned salt factory/town about an hours drive from the city. I really didn’t want to do any shopping, and the ghost town was too far, so I planned to go with a small group walking down the malacon (board walk).

The shuttle bus here was not as conveniently scheduled as the last port, as there was only one, but it was clean and comfy. It dropped us off at the clock tower in the main square of town.

The older area is a weirdly Victorian-meets-the-wild-west aesthetic in the buildings. The main streets are pedestrian only, which helps when being a gawking tourist.

The first beaches we came to are not for swimming. The rocks and currents make them unsuitable for swimming, but there were some surfers out trying to catch the waves. There were even unmaned lifeguard stations.