The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Brief stay in Viña del Mar

So, after a 24 hr bus ride from Iquique, I landed in Viña del Mar which is one of my favourite chilean cities, Unfortunatelly I could only stay 4 hours, enough to strech my legs and dine with friends, Cuz the bus that would take across to Argentina only leaves in the evening.

In Passing snapshot - The San telmo cafe

A Typical Buenos Aires cafe, the Bar Seddon is located At the intersection of Defensa and Chile streets in downtown Buenos Aires.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - From Iquiue to Viña del Mar by bus

So for my last leg in Chilean Territory  I took yet another bus.

That would drive me half way through Chile From Iquique to Viña del Mar on a 24hr. 1700 km ride.

It is really worth the pain cuz you get to see beautifull mountains and ocean scenery the whole trip.

passing through Atacama which is one of the most arid and dry deserts in the world.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Downtown Iquique

As I said Iquique is a relatively small city with a big business output. Nevertheless it has a tiny but pictouresque downtown area.

I basically strolled throug it on my way to the bus station to catch my ride down to Viña del Mar.

the old buildings in a sort of victorian style are well kept and lend themselves to some nice shots.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Iquique - Shopping paradise

One of the places i wanted to check out on this trip was the ZOFRI, or Zona Franca de Iquique, a place I heard much about in Paraguay and Bolivia, since Iquique is one of Chile's most northern ports where merchandise arrives fro Asia to America and many containers are destined to Bolivia and Paraguay which are land locked countries with no access to the pacific.

Iquique is more a border town than Arica in its aspect, with a small downtown area and a huge warehouse neighbourhood where you can find any imported object you desire, tax free for foreigners and some Chileans.

the Zofri is a big warehouse complex with many stores and also a big shopping mall where the common public can buy electronics and some other trinkets. Most of the stores sell cell phones and small electronics. contrary to my expectations none sold cameras and only two sold computers.

Many people come here to purchase second hand cars and bikes brought over from Japan, and even brand new vehicles tax free.

La Torre Ader in Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires

On the outskirts of Buenos Aires in the municipality of Vicente Lopez lies a hidden architectural treasure, the Ader Tower named ofter Bernardo Ader french immigrant that did well in Argentina at the beginning of the 20th century.

If you visit Buenos Aires you will see for sure "La torre de los ingleses" in Retiro which was a gift of the English community in Argentina for the 100th anniversary of its independence.

On 1917 Mr. Ader decided to give back to the country where he prospered by building this monument also to commemorate Argentina's independence.

the Tower can be visited daily and on Saturday's they host concerts on its ground floor lobby.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Arica, Back to the Confort zone

Really when crossing down to Chile I was expecting to find in Arica a dusty border town, just an obligatory stopover to catch the bus to Iquique.
Nevertheless I came across a fully developed city with all the comforts of the modern world.

So frankly being a bit tired of having to pay to use a washroom, having to beg for wifi access or drinking warm beverages I ran to one of the huge malls they have in town and enjoyed civilized washrooms, free wifi and cold coke off a machine.
I also took some pics of its picturesque rocky shores and rested on the sandy part of the beach, which are not the most beautiful you will see, but alas a beach.