Arica and back

We are finally getting our adventure to Chile posted. It was a terrific trip, and both goals were accomplished: visas and rest. The flight was short - 25 minutes - and without incident. After landing in Tacna, Peru, we took a taxi for the 45 minute trip across the border. The taxistas know how to get you through quickly, and again there were no problems. We went directly to the consulate in the coastal city of Arica, and found out that we were missing the needed photos to get the visas. Thankfully a very nice taxista knew right where to go, and we got them done quickly. We returned to find the consulate closed, but were able to return a couple hours later to successfully receive our resident visas. We now have 20 days to get our carnets (id cards for foreign residents) from the embassy in Lima.

In between, we checked into our beautiful hotel, recommended by the Ross family. We honestly felt a bit spoiled there, as it was right on the beach and quite comfortable. I've never been a huge beach fanatic, but here I realized how much I love the ocean, and could sit on the rocks watching and listening for hours.

Chile was interesting and had a very different feel from Peru. It has much more Western influence, and is generally wealthier. The first thing we noticed was the traffic - Arica is much slower, quieter, safer. Cars actually slowed down to let us cross - unheard of in Arequipa. Everything seems newer and cleaner, prices are much higher, more like in the States, and though it wasn't a huge city, there was a McDonald's. On a different level, we could see very clearly just how enriched Peru is by the influence of indigenous Andean cultures, something somewhat lacking in Chile. Arica is a beautiful place, with many monuments to their victory in the 19th-century war against Peru. We enjoyed the cleaner and more humid air, but I was honestly glad to return to Arequipa. Even with all its frustrations, I think I'm already starting to feel some attachment to our new home, this country that is rich in so many ways.

Noah got to sit in his own seat on the plane!

Part of downtown Arica

We walked down close to those rocks - absolutely spectacular.

This is called the Morro de Arica - a desert cliff where you can see the whole city.

Also atop the Morro was a huge statue of Christ

This was our hotel - and our room on the right. The Morro de Arica is in the background

Noah loved playing in the sand! He and I dug a hole together, which he then sat in. There were hundreds of shells around, which fascinated our curious boy.