A quiet day in Arica

The Cathedral de San Marcos de Arica by Gustave Eiffel reflected in the pond on the Plaza Colon

After the stress of the heights of the Colca Canyon we had a day off in Arica (Chile) before we went on to San Pedro de Atacama. It was good to be at sea level again. It would be the last low stop on our trip. 

Arica serves as a "free port" for Bolivia that is "land locked".  In the center (Plaza Colon) near the sea fornt stands the Cathedral of San Marcos. It was built by Gustave Eiffel. 

Plaza Colon with the Catedral de San Marcos de Arica

Arica is situated at the foot of a large rocky outcrop. From there you have a good view of the city, but I didn't fancy climbing anything his day. So we looked at what is left of the Arica - La Paz Railway. A derelict station.... The line went bankrupt in 2005. This station is also by Eiffel.

Arica station (Arica - La Paz railway) by Eiffel

This old customs office - also by Eiffel- is next to the station and the port. Now it is used as a kind of cultural centre.

The Customs office and the Morro

Near the foot of the Morro we found a small very modern (educational) museum from the Tarapaca University. Although it was still under construction it was obvious it would be very nice when finished. It had a glass floor over a burial place with mummies. On the wall was explained what you could see under the floor.

The top floor of the museum surprised us with a splendid view of the city and the harbour. 

The weather was nice and warm, something we came to appreciate very much in the next days. We walked back to the city center to have dinner. I love the public telephones in Chile with the small roof. It reminded me of  my experiments of taking a picture of the phone in Puerto Natales The best way is from under up.

We sat down in a small restaurant in the main street. That night we would travel by bus to San Pedro de Atacama.