Travels in North Chile, and the Chilean and Bolivian Altiplano (Part 1)!

After coming back from our Patagonian adventures we made a quick turnaround in Santiago and flew up to Arica, the northernmost city in Chile, to spend some time on the coast, in the desert, up in the Chilean Altiplano and on into Bolivia.

As with our previous post this one is going to cover several weeks of stuff so we're keeping it (fairly) brief here and we'll post on some of the more interesting things again in the future. Also, this is Part 1, which ends with La Paz in Bolivia. Part 2 will cover La Paz and our travel back to the coast of North Chile and then a stay in an awesome indigenous village located in the desert just before the Andean pre-cordillera (which might run to Part 3...).

As we write this we're back in Santiago, about to start work again with new sets of hopefully eager students...

Sunset in Arica

Arica, the northernmost city in Chile and the "City of Everlasting Spring" (and we can report that it does have a very pleasant climate) is located on the coast, only 19kms from the modern Peruvian border, but was until 1883 part of Peru. A huge swathe of what is now Northern Chile was annexed by Chile from Peru and Bolivia after Chile defeated them in the War of the Pacific. This war was fought over rights to the valuable minerals found in the desert here, including most importantly saltpetre (used in gunpowder) and nitrates (used in fertilizers). Today this area is still hugely important to Chile but different minerals are now extracted - the nitrate industry collapsed after World War I after Germany, blockaded during the war, invented synthetic nitrates. More on this another time. 

The Morro - the strategic hill decisive in the War of the Pacific

Arica has a large Chilean army barracks where the 4th Regiment "Rancagua" is based - our fantastic guide who took us up into the Altiplano, was originally from Rancagua (a farming town just south of Santiago) and spent 35 years in the Chilean army posted in Arica.  

The city has a very different feel from the more southern parts of Chile, it's a colourful splash between the sea and the brown desert.

Public health flash: "wash your hands before cooking"

Animals in Arica's pavements

the birds in Arica poo aggressively and copiously

the beach from our hotel

One of the most unusual and coolest things in Arica is an excellent Hare Krishna restaurant, which is supplied by an organic farm and retreat not far from the city - something to visit another time.

Anna with lovely yogic mango juice 

Hare Krishna farm

The church in Arica

Beach bar at night - yay!

sunset across the bay in Arica

Anna walking to the beach along the disused railtrack

An unusual sight in Chile - beach rugby with actual posts!

life is slow in Arica's market

"do you want a flake in that love?"

After a few days in Arica we were picked up by a guide who drove us up into the Chilean Altiplano for a few days of exploring.

Fernando's truck

For anyone who doesn't know, the Altiplano translates as "High Plain", and the term refers to the high Andes across Northern Chile, Western Bolivia, Southern Peru, and North-Western Argentina. Broadly speaking, as outsiders, this area shows some cultural and ethnic homogenity (though that isn't at all true when you get down to details) among the original indigenous inhabitants of this part of South America.

The Altiplano people were here long before Europeans arrived and created the artificial political borders that exist today. That said, two major "PanAndean" empires once dominated the Altiplano before the Spanish arrived - first the Tiwanakan Empire based in Bolivia, and later the more famous Inca Empire from what is now Peru. Today, the descendants of those indigenous people still thrive in the Altiplano, and we had the great fortune to see some of the places that they live and the incredible landscapes that provide a backdrop to these remote settlements.

Some ancient Tiwanakan hats

Chinchorro Mummies

The ancestors of the coastal indigenous people around Arica were mummifying their dead long before the Egyptians.

view into the Azapa Valley on the way up from Arica

on the way up

To get an idea of what "High Plain" refers to, you can think about two points which give a range of altitude: La Paz in Bolivia at 3,600m and Lake Chungara in Chile at 4,500m above sea level. Machu Picchu, the famous Inca religious site in Peru, which is ultimately part of the same area, sits at about 2,350m above sea level. To further illustrate how integrated these high parts of these four different countries were (and are), the photo below was taken from part of the network of ancient Inca roads which stretch for miles throughout the Altiplano (emanating from the Incan capital at Cuzco, Peru), close to a ruined Tambo - a sort of Incan Inn or staging post for the Imperial messengers who used these "Inca Trails".

Candle trees - unique to the region

Coca leaf tea - essential drinking to withstand altitude sickness

With our guide, Fernando, we visited the regional "capital" of Putre, and various other Altiplano villages including Poconchile, Parinacota, and Socorama.

Supper with Fernando in Putre

The Chilean Altiplano, being so high up, has its own climate, completely different from that of the neighbouring desert and coastal regions - it's cold and wet up there.

Altiplano farming

Altiplano village cemetery (Socorama)

another village cemetery lower down in the desert pre-cordillera (Poconchile)

the ubiquitous yellow Chilean fire hydrant - at least one in every town

rainbow in Putre

llamas (or maybe Alpacas...) in the hostel car park

All of the small villages in the Altiplano have beautiful little churches - the only visible historical evidence of the Spanish. The most spectacular example of an Altiplano church is in a village called Parinacota, which preserves an incredible painted interior, and various silver objects. 

An interesting feature of these churches is that the tower is always separate from the main church. Apparently the indigenous people considered the tower (for obvious reasons) to be a symbol of masculinity, while the body of the church one of feminity, and insisted that they remain separate.

The interior of the church at Parinacota shows painted scenes from bible stories - with the Romans replaced by Spanish conquistadores. 

old priests of the Parish...

Chilean Patagonia, the south of Chile, is rightly famous for its landscapes but there are also some incredible landscapes in the high Andes in the north.

In Parque Nacional Lauca - Chile's highest national park

llamas and alpacas!

 Apart from the various llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicunas up here, we also saw these fantastic rabbit-like creatures with squirrel tails, like something from Wonderland:

the mysterious wise old vizcacha

up close

this is my better side

Anna with skull

Flamingos in Lake Chungara

And so at 4,500m, beside Lake Chungara, near the Bolivian border, we left our friendy guide and jumped on a bus to La Paz, Bolivia... 

...until Part 2...

Chao!