Spring Break: Part VII

Day 7 was a day of traveling. We woke up at 5:30 in our hostel in Arequipa. We ordered two taxis that were waiting for us outside the door. We hopped in (two groups of three) and headed for the bus station. We got on a bus from Arequipa to Tacna and were on our way.

Tacna is a small town in southern Peru. It's about a 20 minute drive to the Chilean border. For whatever reason, buses don't cross the border from Peru to Chile, so if you want to make that switch, you have to get a cab or special bus from Tacna, Peru to Arica, Chile, which is exactly what we did. In the bus station, I befriended a police officer. We were chatting for a few minutes while other members of the group were going to the bathroom or getting snacks. He was a kind man and took us under his wing and helped us find appropriate transportation to cross the border. He first took us to a bus that he said was safe a a good price. The group wasn't happy with that, so we ended up getting two collectivos. They're like taxi's in that they're cars, but they're also like buses in that they are not private. Austin, Leanne, and I were in the back seat of a '91 Chevy while the driver and two Chilean men were in the front seat. It wasn't a bad deal. The driver was Chilean and took a liking to us. He sped all the way to the border, helped us budge in line at customs and immigration in Peru and Chile, and before we knew it, we were already in Arica ready to take advantage of the 5 or so hours we had before it was time to board a night bus to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

We weren't in Arica for that long. We had just enough time to wander the streets and get a meal at a fire station. Interesting Fact: All fire companies in Chile are volunteer operated. I believe there are approximately two paid positions at each fire company and all of the firemen are volunteers. They raise money for their company by selling raffle tickets to the citizens who they protect from their own stupidity most of the time. It just doesn't seem to sit right with me, but that's Chile.

Lunch was great. It was our first meal back in Chile and we were all excited to see familiar foods like pan y pevre, pollo a la pobre, palta, etc. It wasn't a huge deal, but it's part of the culture we have come to associate with "home" over the last two months. After traveling in an unfamiliar country on an unfamiliar continent for a week, anything that is remotely familiar provides an eerie sense of comfort. Eerie in the sense that it's a false feeling, but still comforting.

After our welcome back meal, we wandered the streets of Arica and observed the preparations for the 18 (Sept. 18th is Chilean Independence Day). There were lots of stands and craft tents set up and the city was getting ready for the festivities to begin. Since this year's 18 marked the start of Chile's 200th year of independence, or the bicentenario, celebrations began on the 17th and continues almost non-stop through the 20th (Thursday to Sunday).

After wandering we returned to the bus station for pre-made PB&J before boarding a night bus to our "last" destination, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Day 7: (Wednsday, September 16th at 5:30 am to Thursday, September 17th at 1:00am)