Yes! Now it feels like a holiday again :) I put my shorts and sandals on straight away when we arrived to Arica. Took a day bus (Nordic buss) through desert and volcanos, Parinacota will be the most beautiful one I have ever seen. You could smell the sea air already from the bus, see some green and tons of seaguls. I was so happy!! It has been two months since we saw the sea and I have really missed it.
Do you know how good it feels to throw toilet paper into the toilet? Or be able to drink from the tap? Or have a shower with hot water and proper pressure? Or cross the street and cars will let you pass? Last five months I have been only dreaming of these :) So yes, first impression of Chile is wonderful! Plus being on the coast means we don't have to eat dry rice and fried eggs anymore, hello FRESH FISH!!
I had my first taste of sea urchins, huge YÖK! Won't be tasting those again. Had fish for lunch and bought a package of ceviche for dinner. Yesterday we went to Pescaderia, harbour and fishmarket. And btw, there I saw the biggest (and fatest) sealions ever! They had everything what you could wish for. We had prawn empenada for appetizer. Noora, even you would have liked it 'cause it had more cheese than prawns. We had lunch in one of these street stals, marinera soup for starter. Marinera = mussels. Hadn't had those either (smell makes me sick already) before. This time I gave them a chance. First and last time I need to taste mussels. Not my cup of tea. Luckily second course was tasty fried fish with salad and potatos.
I can see Arica being very popular in summer time, but now we saw hardly any other gringos or surfers. We walked to three different beaches and were the only ones there. Playa la Lancho had so many dead baby lobsters washed on shore. (I first thought they are just shirmps but Rob said they are probably lobsters) I tried to carry as many as I could back to the ocean. We also climbed to top of Cerro de Arica to see the view, and the Christ. Every country and city has its own christ statue, so I don't think I need to see the most famous one in Rio anymore. Day was cloudy but warm, wecwere suppose to chill and take it easy but somehow our walk turned out to last more than seven hours.
Heading to Iquique today, known for superb paragliding views!
Do you know how good it feels to throw toilet paper into the toilet? Or be able to drink from the tap? Or have a shower with hot water and proper pressure? Or cross the street and cars will let you pass? Last five months I have been only dreaming of these :) So yes, first impression of Chile is wonderful! Plus being on the coast means we don't have to eat dry rice and fried eggs anymore, hello FRESH FISH!!
I had my first taste of sea urchins, huge YÖK! Won't be tasting those again. Had fish for lunch and bought a package of ceviche for dinner. Yesterday we went to Pescaderia, harbour and fishmarket. And btw, there I saw the biggest (and fatest) sealions ever! They had everything what you could wish for. We had prawn empenada for appetizer. Noora, even you would have liked it 'cause it had more cheese than prawns. We had lunch in one of these street stals, marinera soup for starter. Marinera = mussels. Hadn't had those either (smell makes me sick already) before. This time I gave them a chance. First and last time I need to taste mussels. Not my cup of tea. Luckily second course was tasty fried fish with salad and potatos.
I can see Arica being very popular in summer time, but now we saw hardly any other gringos or surfers. We walked to three different beaches and were the only ones there. Playa la Lancho had so many dead baby lobsters washed on shore. (I first thought they are just shirmps but Rob said they are probably lobsters) I tried to carry as many as I could back to the ocean. We also climbed to top of Cerro de Arica to see the view, and the Christ. Every country and city has its own christ statue, so I don't think I need to see the most famous one in Rio anymore. Day was cloudy but warm, wecwere suppose to chill and take it easy but somehow our walk turned out to last more than seven hours.
Heading to Iquique today, known for superb paragliding views!
