We arrived in Arica, northern Chile, after our mammoth journey from Sucre (28 hours in total!)

Arica, an urban beach resort, is a border town flush against Peru and close to Bolivia . The knobby headland of El Morro looms over the long swaths of sand, with El Cristo looking out towards Peru, symbolising peace between the two countries. The waves of Arica are famous for hosting high-profile surf championships. The city is also famous for its high-altitude train line that runs through to La Paz. The mayor claims the line to still function although nobody has seen evidence of this for some time!

Arica was our first stop in Chile, and we immediately noticed the contrast to Bolivia. Clean streets, wide roads and well-dressed (often scantily!) people. Our purse strings suddenly felt a greater strain!

We met up with Cordy, a friend of Sam's friend, who happened to be in Arica carrying out her PhD research about the contested border between Chile and Peru. She showed us around town including the port area with its many pelicans (mind the poo!) and well-fed seals and the Alexandre Gustave Eiffel designed Iglesia San Marcos. We enjoyed sharing a few beers with her in the evening.

There was not much to keep us entertained in Arica itself for more than a day, so we took a trip out along Ruta 11 to Parque Nacional Lauca. We saw hillside geoglyphs, candelabra cacti and visited the pleasant Aymara villages of Putre and Parinacota with their whitewashed adobe buildings, stone streets and pretty churches. The highlight of the day was the awesome view across Lago Chungara (4,517m) and its shimmering reflections of the snow-capped Volcan Parinacota (6,350m).

Onward bus to Iquique, 5 hours.