After two nights at Arequipa we headed out across the desert for Arica, a coastal town in Chile, stopping for lunch and changing buses on the way at Tacna. Our hotel was almost on the beach and from our room we could watch flights of pelicans gliding effortlessly over the cold, grey waters of the Pacific.Pelicans off the shore at Arica.The craft market in Arica, Chile. We found an Internet café near here and spent a half hour for about 25p!The main square – the building in the background was designed by Eiffel. The trees behind the engine are white with guano…seabirds roost on them and eventually the trees die, as witnessed by the ones in the foreground.Our hotel in Arica was at the end of the bay, so a 10-15 minute walk into the town.Walking back from town. Some of the group took a taxi up to the top of the mountain that overlooks the town.Evening meal, in the hotel at Arica.
After two nights in Arica the next stage of our journey took us from sea level to the breathless heights of the Altiplano at around 12,500 feet and on to the crowded city of La Paz in Bolivia. We climbed up through the Lauca Valley National Park, stopping at the world’s highest non-navigable lake – Chungara.
Arica behind us, we started our climb up the side of the Lauca Valley towards the Altiplano and La Paz, Bolivia. From sea level to about 4,500 metres in around 6 hours…not good for avoiding altitude sickness.Lauca Nationa Park and we stop to study a candellabra cactus.There were about eight families living in the little settlement below.Nearing the top of our climb onto the Altiplano. Karon and Louise checking out the view towards the Andes.Wild Vicuña grazing on the Altiplano.VicuñaUp until this point the altitude had not affected me……but this point on, I had a headache that lasted four days.Viscachas. They may look like rabbits, but they are rodents.A tame llama, very interested in anything closely resembling food.Mmmm. Biccies.Nearing ParinacotaThe Chapel at Parinacota.The AltiplanoLake Chungara. Highest non-navigable lake in the world. In the backround – one of the Payachatas volcanoes.
