After a week in Santiago, we flew to Arica, the northernmost Chilean city on the Pacific coast. Arica has an interesting history. It was at one time part of Bolivia, then Peru, and was captured by the Chileans in 1880 during the War of the Pacific. It was again part of Peru in the 1920's, but has been Chilean since then. Paula, from the destination we'd booked in Arica, emailed us the day before that their hot water system had malfunctioned. She suggested an alternative hotel, and arranged all details for us, including transportation from the airport as well as transportation across the border the following day to our hotel in Tacna, Peru.
Arica has an interesting metal cathedral, designed by Gustave Eiffel (he of Tower and Statue of Liberty fame). The cathedral was fabricated in Eiffel's workshop in Paris, shipped in pieces to Arica, and assembled there using a key which was displayed in the church. As the Chilean invaders approached, the Aricans, fearful that they would dis-assemble and steal the ediface, threw the key into the sea.
 |
| Eiffel's Church of San Marco |
 |
| Interior of the Church |
 |
| The Former Customs House, Another Eiffel Design |
 |
| El Morro, Site of the 1880 Battle of Peru, Towers over the City |
Our plan was to take several days to acclimatize on our way to Lake Titicaca, at 12,400 feet. Our first stop in Peru was Tacna. Our driver, Alex, was extremely helpful in guiding us through the immigation and customs formalities at the border. Our hotel, rumored to be the best Tacna offers, reminded us of a 1950's Florida resort (indeed, it was built in 1951). It was comfortable enough, and had very nice gardens and a pool area. Interestingly, Peru is two hours behind Chile in time, so we were up bright and early.
Nick set out to purchase bus tickets for our trip to Arequipa the next day. In looking for an ATM, he wandered into the office of a woman named Sandra Middlebrook, British-born but a resident of Peru from 6 months of age. She offered to accompany him by cab to the bus station, helped him buy the tickets, and cautioned him against drinking Peruvian tap water. The kindness of strangers continues to amaze us!
We didn't do a lot of sight-seeing in Tacna (there isn't a lot to see) but did visit the Plaza with its cathedral, a fountain designed by (who else?) Eiffel, and an arch commemorating the War in the Pacific (they lost).
 |
| Cathedral Tower and Hibiscus |
 |
| Eiffel's Tacna Fountain |
 |
| The Non Victory Arch |
No comments:
Post a Comment