Arica

Now we´re talking. Arrived Saturday pm in Arica via plane: great landing in the middle of the desert, felt like you landed on the moon. All of a sudden out of nowhere this town appears in between dunes and the ocean, and the pilot finds a small strip of tarmac to land the plane. Walking out onto the stairway, looking out to infinite dunes, I felt like the adventure was starting now.
The whole town is like a shanti-town, one grade up. There´s a cute plaza actually with a church done by Eiffel and a fancy fountain surrounded by colorful tiles, but other than that the town is put together who knows how. Yet, it seems like people have an ok life, mostly from fishing. The fish market here is quite a sight...everyone is eager to show you the morning´s catch and how to prepare it. Pelicans and seals add to the folklore. Spent the am walking around and the pm at the beach: a little windy with sand constantly flying in your face, but it doesn´t seem to bother anyone. Kids were playing soccer for hours- great fun to watch. The water is quite pleasant but you freeze once you´re out. Tons of people selling various treats- i have yet to splurge. Did get my first local empanadas...gotta remember there´s an olive hidden in there, with the pit! I´m sure by the end of this blog, I´ll be raving about a slice of pizza instead, but actually for now I really look forward to my empanadas snacks.
The hostel is quite modest, but super welcoming. The first night was pretty packed with fellow travelers off to Peru. We cooked dinner together, traded stories, and exchanged tips, well I guess it was more me asking for tips. Good times. This one french guy spent 2month1/2 biking through Boliva with two buddies. Now how´s that for an adventure! He´s in ´recovery mode´ eating away.
One more night here and off to Putre...Altiplano, here I come. Next, pictures will talk for themselves...so bare with me as I try to figure out this blogging thing.