Arica - The city of the eternal spring

Arica is a place of extremes:   it happens to be very close to the subduction zone known where the Nazca techtonic plate dives beneath the South American plate, threatening the city with huge earthquakes. In fact, in my past visit, someone told me that a big earthquake has been predicted for the area in the next few years.  Average rainfall per year is 0, one of the driest inhabited places on earth... and yet, near the city, there is an oasis where vegetables and olives are grown.

(notice the lush vegetation in the middle of the desert)

This interesting bit of land is an edge. Both Bolivia and Peru are very close (within walking distance... as many drug traffickers can testify as they do this walk regularly and sometimes get blown up by the mines hidden in certain parts of the desert). Arica used to be part of Peru until 100 years ago or so. and at some point in time, it has also been part of Bolivia. Land mines are present in many areas as a result of constant wars. The chilean military presence in the area is probably most noticeable here than anywhere else in the country.

Arica's weather consists pretty much of eternal sunshine. In summer, you can see it and feel it every day. In winter (like now), most days you get a vey low, humid and thick coastal cloud called camanchaca (or press "camanchaca" for the link in english) in the morning. If you go up the nearby mountains, you can actually drive higher up than the cloud and observe it from above.

By noon or so, the sun is strong and the cloud disappears, letting the city return to its eternal sunshine state.

I went to Arica for work this week and I enjoyed my time there (though the work could have gone a bit more smoothly! grrr :op) Who would have told me that I was going to bump into a whole vegetarian family there!? As it happens, our contractor in the area is in his own words "a vegan at heart"... :o)

I think we may spend a couple of days there next week... the only part of Chile where the water of the pacific is fairly warm!