The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Day stop in Mendoza - The wineries bus tour

As I mentioned previously, there is a city tour bus that tours the whole city of Mendoza, now in one of its stops you can hook up with the wineries tour bus, that stops at 7 wineries in the lujan de cuyo area.

I had´nt much time so i asked the guide which winery had vines at sight cuz I wanted to take some pics.

I was told that haciendas del plata had some so I got off there. Since at that time I was the only visitor I wandered in and started taking some pics. There is a wine tasting tour given by the wine yard owners which were very kind and also took me to visit the grape plantations.

Hacienda del plata is an Estate winery with a small plot of land in which they produce a limited quantity of bottles. I do recommend the visit for the quality of their wines and for its picturesque winery.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Day stop in Mendoza

After a late night border crossing I arived back in Argentina to the city of Mendoza, this was at 6am, so after buying my bus ticket to Buenos Aires which departed only at 6pm I was left with a whole day in my hands.

It was a Monday and it seems that most museums and tourist atractions aere closed so I opted for the city guide Bus run by the city of Mendoza.
The first departure is at 11am and it takes you around the city of mendoza and Godoy Cruz, also to Lujan de Cuyo where u can catch another bus that brings you to wineries.

You can get on and off and basically spend the whole day visiting the city. I highly recommend the tour bus.

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.

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.

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.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Crossing from Tacna to Arica

Arriving at Tacna Airport, my immediate goal was to get to the city and cross the border into Chile, so of course there were friendly taxi drivers that offered the ride for 20 soles for the 1km ride, its like 7 bucks, no big deal, but I prefer public transport for 1 sol.
Normally arriving at any airport I ask around if there is a bus and where I can catch it. Locals here are not very talkative and do´nt seem to care much for foreigners, the thing is that I felt like Captain Haddock from Tin Tin when he curses the locals for being oblivious to his questions.
I had to ask four times to find someone that would tell me that the bus stopped right where i was standing, and getting on the bus i saw a lady get on whom I had previously asked and supposedly did´nt know...and Spanish is my mother tongue, so I pity someone that doe´nt speak the language.

The bus ride was pretty interesting cuz it drove around the whole city before landing me at the bus terminal, 20 minutes in all. Over there I learned that there are some taxis that bring you across the border also for 20 soles, but this is a 10km ride.

You may wanna look for the biggest car cuz they jam as many people in them with luggage. I found a Lincoln continental so I travelled in style across to Arica.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - From Lima to Tacna

After a week in Lima came the time to head back south so I flew down to Tacna, which is the border town between Peru and Chile.

Flying over the mostly arid Peruvian Coast, that I had previously driven in other trips.

After a  two hour flight I was ready to continue by land on the Chilean side of the pacific.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Downtown Lima, Barrio Chino

Bee not afraid, Lima has a Chinese hood too, right downtown stretching several blocks.

You´ll find the usual combination of bazaars, resto´s and miscellaneous oriental arts.

They also have done a good job at rescuing run down colonial houses and adding some Chinese decor.

And ofcourse you can also indulge in some Chinese delicacies while visiting.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Downtown Lima, Mercado Municipal Ramon Castilla

While visiting the historical Lima neighbourhood you might want to step into the local produce Market.

the Ramon Castilla Municipal Market is a wholesale produce market where you can find everything you need to make typical Peruvian food or even bring home some ingredients.

Not as seedy as other markets found in remote areas it has the right amount of colour and cleanliness.
Nevertheless you´ll find your share of non refrigerated meat to which north americans are not used to.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Downtown Lima, Colonial ornaments

I have mentioned in previous posts that Lima is known for its beautiful colonial balconies, which many say were more numerous in the past, but another feature of the city are the many ornaments found on doors and buildings

You could spend days taking photos of all the ornaments in downtown Lima.

These are just some samples taken in passing in the historical downtown area.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Downtown Lima, Beautiful colonial churces

As you can imagine Lima is very Colonial city, with many of its architectural jewels well preserved.

Something you might want to do in downtown Lima is visit its beautiful colonial churches, there a re about half a dozen that are very beautiful and will bring you back to the times when Peru was a very influential colony in the Americas.

You will certainly see the Cathedral at the main square and then you can make your way to Santo Domingo, San Francisco, San Pedro and Nuestra Señora de la Merced.

The trip to Bolivia - Peru - Downtown Lima, San Martin de Porres

Right across Saint Rose of Lima church you will find another interesting religious venue to visit. Its a colonial house at which live another famous Peruvian Saint.

Saint Martin de Porres was a humble Dominica order lay brother of mix African, Spanish descent, he is the patron Saint of barbers, innkeepers and public health workers, since he was basically the doorman,cook, and cleaner of the convent he lived in.

This house is also a great example of the colonial houses of old in Lima and houses the San Martin de Porres museum.