A weird little corner of the world that nobody talks about
okay so i landed here with zero expectations and somehow still managed to be surprised. the air felt like someone left a hair dryer on in the room-warm, dry, and just a little aggressive. i just checked and it's 27.23°c there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.
this place is the kind of town where the main square has three competing empanada stands and nobody knows who's "the best" because they all kind of are. i overheard someone say the one with the red awning uses donkey meat in their beef ones-probably a rumor, but now i can't unthink it.
if you get bored, arica and tacna are just a short drive away, though "short" here might mean "bring snacks and a podcast." i met a freelance photographer who swore the light in arica at 5pm is "like liquid gold poured over concrete." sounded dramatic, but i believed her.
*the plaza is where everyone ends up eventually-old men on benches, kids chasing balloons, and one guy selling sunglasses that definitely don't block UV. i sat there for two hours just watching. no wifi, no agenda. felt like a small rebellion.
food rumors worth chasing: the ceviche at mariscos el guapo is supposedly "the reason people move here." another local swore by the chicha at that hole-in-the-wall behind the church-said it tastes like fermented forgiveness. i tried it. still processing.
lodging is a mixed bag. i stayed at a place that claimed to be "boutique" but had a shower that alternated between scalding and arctic with no warning. still, the host left me a note that said "welcome home, wanderer" and that somehow made up for the plumbing.
if you're into slow travel, this is your spot. nobody's rushing. the internet cuts out sometimes. the power goes out sometimes. and somehow, that's the charm. it's like the town itself is on siesta.
for more gritty, real-talk travel guides, check out Lonely Planet's Chile section or WikiTravel's page on Arica. and if you want to see what the light looks like at golden hour, hit up the local Flickr group* for some unfiltered shots.
would i come back? absolutely. but maybe with a better hat and fewer expectations. sometimes the best trips are the ones where you have no idea what you're doing-and this one delivered on that promise in spades.
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