Crossing into Chile

After enjoying our last couple days in Cusco, we hopped on a bus to Arequipa, Peru to begin our journey into Chile. The bus was very nice and we were able to sleep comfortably for a few hours on our way. We arrived in Arequipa just after sunrise (about 6 AM...ugh). Arequipa is the third largest city in Peru, but if you visit this place, you probably would not realize it. There are very few buildings that are taller than three stories and the usual sounds of car horns and people yelling were missing. We knew that it was going to be a fun place to celebrate the fall holidays.

Our first day in Arequipa was fairly relaxed. We spent a few hours resting up in our hostel before venturing out into the city. The owner of the hostel, Jose, recommended a great place for breakfast and lunch that was just around the corner. We headed there for some much needed coffee and snacks. After that, we headed to the Plaza de Armas. We sat in the park for a while and people-watched before trying to find a few of the city's attractions. Unfortunately, it was Sunday so almost everything was closed. So we grabbed some lunch at one of the patio restaurants then spent the afternoon/evening planning the next steps of our journey.



Plaza de Armas







The next two days were Halloween and the Day of the Dead, so we were very excited to see how people in Peru celebrated these holidays. On Halloween most families dressed their children up and headed to the main square to take pictures. We decided to head to a museum to see an Incan mummy. The mummy came from one of the nearby mountains and was originally a sacrificed girl from Cusco. What made this mummy special, though, was that most of its organs and tissue were still intact. She had been frozen shortly after she was sacrificed, which kept her body safe. We could see the entire body (including teeth, skin, and hair), which was creepy, but also really interesting. After the museum we headed back out to the main square. By that time some older people wore costumes, but they were usually heading to the bars for the festivities. The Day of the Dead turned out to be a day where almost nothing went on. The city was pretty much dead, so maybe that was their way of celebrating. We were a little disappointed because Cusco had all kinds of events leading up to the big day, but there was nothing in Arequipa. I guess we will have to try to celebrate it somewhere else sometime.

The following morning we woke up early to catch a bus to Tacna, Peru. Tacna is a small town in the south that is famous mostly for its border runs. They have a ton of cabbies who will escort small groups across the border, so we decided that would be the best option for us. We met up with a man on our bus named Ian from Manhattan, who helped us get through the whole process of picking a driver and filling out the necessary paperwork. The process was pretty easy for the three of us. The two Bolivians in our car were not so lucky, though. They were turned away because one of them did not have a valid excuse to enter the country. Bummer.

We have spent the last few days in Arica, Chile. It is a small coastal town that is a good stop on the way to Santiago. There is not much to see in the city, but we have enjoyed our time here. We met a few people here and were finally able to purchase some cheap flights that we had been eying for a while. Later today we will hop on a flight to Santiago. We have been very anxious to get there and cannot believe we are already going to be there!












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Location:Arequipa and Tacna Peru - Arica, Chile