KPVM World Travels

Yes Arica is part of Chile. It was seized from Peru in 1880 and only recognized as Chilean by Peru in 1929. Some Peruvians still believe it is part of Peru. The area is a desert and they only have 0.1 inches of rain a year. It is laid out in a valley that has an aquifer below it and its predominant feature is El Morro, which stands 139 meters / 456 feet above sea level. We arrived on the first day of their 3 day carnival. People come from everywhere (Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, etc.) to participate.                          In the middle of town, and the carnival, is an all metal church, the Cathedral of San Marcos. The Bell is from the original church of 1729.   Then it was off to the Azapa Valley and we passed by a variety of residential areas We went to the San Miguel de Azapa Archaeological and Anthropological Museum. It is primarily a museum of  mummies dating back to the sixth millennium BC of the a...

  La Serena is the sister city of Coquimbo.  As I wrote in my last post, La Serena is just down the seashore from Coquimbo and its predominant monument is the lighthouse. Boulevard across from the light house I wonder who this cowboy was waiting for, at the lighthouse On our way to Plaza De Armas, we passed by an open air park of replica ancient Roman statues. It was once a beautiful park until the political riot of 2019, when they were all defaced. Most were covered in red paint. The city decided not to renovate the park as a reminder of the riot. Here is an example At the Central Plaza we saw the Municipal building, the Cathedral, the Hall of Justice, a law office and  a Vintage (thrift) store. (pictures are in that order)   The residential areas We also went to a local market, where some folks got the local drink - a Pisco Sour. View of La Serena from the ship A restaurant in the area and again you wonder why I'm geographical challenged!