Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200.

Posted by: Laura

Travel Dates: 5.14.08- 5.16.08

Border towns are generally places that you pass through as quickly as possible. Most border towns are dirty and full of people hassling you. Arica sits on the border of Chile and Peru. When we arrived at the bus station, we both noticed that it didn’t look as busy as usual. We asked for a bus to Tacna, Peru to discover that there were none. Peruvian public transportation workers were on strike. We asked why the Chilean buses couldn´t get through so we could at least get across the border that day. “Because they would club your car and smash the windows as soon as you crossed,” was the answer. We were told that the strike might last two or three days, but no one knew for sure.

So we went to find a hostel and wait. We decided to stay at the Happy Days Hostel and hoped that it could cheer us up. The owner, who is originally from New Zealand, gave us a great map of the city. Arica is not as bad as we first thought. It has a small beach (it was too cold to swim), but we found a cafe to hang out for the afternoons. The strike stopped after two days, so we continued on our way through Arequipa, Peru and then on to Cuzco.