Arica, Chile
Our first stop in Chile is the city of Arica. It’s another commercial port but the shuttle ride is only a few minutes to the port gates. You can then step out on the main street called Avenida Comandante San Martin. It is right across from the Main Square with the iconic Cathedral of San Marcos, a 19th century Gothic-Style Church designed by Gustave Eiffel.
Looming large over us next to the square is the Morro de Arica, a 360-foot hill with a war museum at the top and spectacular views of the ocean and city - if you are fit enough to climb to the top. We have done the climb several times on a steep, partially paved path, but today it was just too hot and humid for us to do it.
There are several museums in town, notably the Museo de Sitio Colon, which houses 32 Chinchorro mummies. For those who haven’t had enough of the desert, there is an interesting tour that goes to Codpa Village, driving through the super-dry Atacama Desert to see a rural village and the sculptures of Chilean artist Juan Diaz Fleming.
To the right is a very nice beach called Playa El Laucho, where lots of locals were playing in the inviting-looking surf. After our walk, we were sufficiently wilted and returned to the ship for a cooler afternoon lunch.
Valentine’s Day Festivities
It was a formal dress night with so many coming out with at least a touch of red in their attire. A special Valentine Dinner was held in the Pinnacle Grill, but if you simply went to the Dining Room for dinner, all the ladies received a long stem red rose. After dinner, a festive party took place in the Crow’s Nest and trays of chocolates were served around the ship. We decided to check it out and stayed for about 45 minutes, enjoying music and dancing with some of the officers and staff. It was very well attended and a fun evening. Wendy even got to dance with the Captain!
San Antonio, Chile
San Antonio is the port for the capital city of Santiago and for the other nearby attractions of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. We have docked in San Antonio twice before and both times headed out on tours to either Santiago or wineries in the Casablanca Valley. This time, we walked along the shoreline watching the colorful fleet of fishing boats until the promenade ended at a big fish market and a huge shopping mall, which was popular with the crew. KFC seemed to be the big attraction there.
Walking the opposite direction, we found a giant supermarket, the city administrative building, and many local stores and services. It gets quite hilly once you leave the shoreside with long staircases or steeply graded streets reaching into the residential areas.
We had heard there was a lighthouse that could be visited so we looked it up and set Google maps to find us a route. It turned out to be a steep climb up one side of a hill and down the other side - several hundred stairs worth. When we finally found it on the edge of a residential neighborhood, we were met with locked gates at both entrances to the large complex. We had to settle for a distant picture of the top of the lighthouse. We did feel like we had accomplished something by walking 10 miles!
Fondly,
Wendy and Steve
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A Bon Voyage! | Costa Rica & Panama | Ecuador and Northern Peru | Wendy's Adventures in Peru | Steve's Adventure in Machu Picchu | Arica and San Antonio, Chile | Robinson Crusoe & Southern Chile | More Chile & Argentina | Antarctica | Falkland Islands | Montevideo & Punta del Este | Brazil | The Amazon | Salvation Islands | Arriving in Africa | Canary Islands & Morocco | Gibraltar and Barcelona | Spain & Portugal | France, Belgium and The Netherlands | Scotland and Norway | More Norway | Iceland | Greenland | Canada & New England | Voyage Summary
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