For those of you who didn't know, I spent this last weekend with some friends from my study abroad program visiting the cities of Arica and Iquique in the northernmost region of Chile. Overall, the trip was really worth it, as we got to see a lot of great scenery and...LLAMAS!! Yes, llamas, as well as alpaca, guanaco, and vicuna - other members of the cameloid family to which llamas belong :)
Thursday morning (as in prior to sunrise), the three of us took a cab to the airport and flew to Iquique, a quiet city on the coast. Geologically, it's a very interesting place, because if you stand in the city and look east, all you can see is desert, and if you look west, all you can see is ocean. Pretty crazy! From there, we took a lovely 5 hour bus ride (haha) to Arica. Due to the change in altitude, I managed to get a little lightheaded, but survied. ***Editor's note: I just learned that Santiago is located at an elevation of 1562 feet and Arica at 1503 feet; therefore, all elevation-related illness (at this point at least) was entirely psychological or related to the airplane/bus trip*** We arrived in time for a late lunch, followed by a little shopping and a nighttime exploration of the city. We stumbled upon a political rally geared towards the upcoming mayoral elections (they actually were just completed on Sunday), complete with cotton candy, music, and an Elvis impersonator (we think he was trying to sing in English, but aren't exactly sure). We then returned for a decent night's sleep in our hostel, which was not the nicest/cleanest/most travel friendly, but served its purpose.
Sorry to keep it so short for tonight, but will continue tomorrow with more details on Friday-Monday.
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