Living in the desert

We've been in northern Chile for quite a few days now, and it is without a doubt way different than the rest of this crazy country. Everything is desert, so while our bus rides (which are extremely long since towns are quite a ways away from each other) have not offered the most exciting scenery, it's pretty cool to see the land stretch on and on for kilometers. That being said, it's extremely hot, and the sun is killer.

We stayed in Iquique for a couple of days but weren't too impressed by it. The beach was pleasant enough, though a bit too crowded. We weren't the lazy beach bums we had hoped to be since the sun is brutal on the skin after just 2 hours (even with SPF 60). Thankfully, there is a really great pedestrian street, Baquedano, that leads to the main plaza and is host to fun restaurants and bars. It's pretty quaint, with the old trolley tracks still in place, an out-of-use trolley car sitting patiently on the street, and cobblestone. The rest of the town is a bit more rough-and-tumble, so Eben and I were perfectly content to spend most of our time around Baquedano.

Arica, which is at the very top of Chile, is a bit more gratifying. The beach here is small but clean, and even though we only went there briefly yesterday, I liked it way better than Iquique. We're staying at a friendly hostel outside of the center, so it's a bit of a hike to get anywhere. The people are wonderful, though, so it's worth it. On Monday Eben and I went down to the fish market to see the massive sea lions twirling in the water waiting for fish to be thrown down to them. It's the closest we've ever gotten to sea lions, so we were able to really appreciate how big these guys are. The market is also close to the main plaza, so we checked out the town's church (constructed entirely out of iron and designed by Eiffel) and the old Customs building. Yesterday morning we went to the archeological museum, which has fantastic artifacts from the civilizations that used to inhabit the area thousands of years ago. On display are four very interesting Chinchorro mummies. The bodies are essentially emptied of their organs (even the brain!) and covered in mud. I've read that sometimes even the skin was removed (I wouldn't want that job). The climate is so extremely dry and hot here that they are really small from dehydration, yet otherwise greatly preserved. They're also the oldest examples of mummifications, predating Egyptian mummies by thousands of years. Pretty cool! After the museum we checked out the nearby geoglyphs, which were a bit anticlimactic. Oh well.

Later in the afternoon, Tristan arrived! He has been in Perú with his dad, conquering the Peruvian Amazon and the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Hearing him talk about it has made me pretty jealous, I'll admit, so I have a feeling that Eben and I will be returning to Perú in the near future (maybe when I get a real job! woo!!!) to cover that territory. At any rate, it's nice to have Tristan with us, and I'm sure Eben is happy to have a boy around after being trapped with me for the past five months. :) We gave Tristan the tour of Arica today, returning to the museum and plaza and all of that. We leave tonight for San Pedro. The bus ride is about 12 hours long (overnight), so we will hopefully arrive around 10 in the morning. The buses have been pretty hot and sweaty up here in the North, as few have windows that open, and the crew neglects to turn on the air. I truly believe these people are sadists.

Sooooo, in conclusion, northern Chile is pretty interesting after having seen the rest of the country. We've done glaciers, vineyards, lakes, and now desert. What a crazy country! The downside to the North is that bus tickets are crazy expensive (I won't even reveal how many times I've had to withdraw large amounts from the ATM in the past week, but use your imagination. Yes, it's that bad.) since distances are so long and bus companies can charge whatever they want. It's cruel, yes. Overall this region doesn't have too much to offer, though it really is a cool experience. San Pedro is the adventure center of the North, so I think we'll have more fun when we get there.

And on a side note, did anyone else know that Bolivia now requires U.S. citizens to apply for a visa? It's nuts. $100, plus passport-sized photos against a red background, proof of "sufficient funds," proof that you have somewhere to stay... and you can only enter the country a maximum of 3 times per year, and the total stay cannot exceed 90 days. It's so frustrating!!! I understand this is reciprocity, that the United States does the exact things to Bolivians, but it's still frustrating. Mostly the 90-day thing. As it was when Eben and I were there, you could ask for a 90-day tourist stamp, cross the border into a neighboring country on Day 90, and go right back for another 90 days. No more, my friends, no more. These new laws won't stop me from returning to Bolivia in the future, but it's just a big pain. But ultimately, the United States deserves it. Chile charges $100 to U.S. citizens arriving in the country by plane, Brazil charges about $200 in visa fees, and now Bolivia. Listening to the stories we heard over breakfast this morning from some non-U.S. travelers, I conclude that our country sucks. The amount of red tape and inane requirements for visas, green cards, etc. is disgusting. It shouldn't be such a stupid process. Yet it is, and that's why Bolivia is now doing this. I consider moving to a different country more and more seriously every day.

And on that anti-patriotic, slightly vitriolic note, I'm off. :) Happiness!