30-31.07.2015.
Arica and Puno
After my adventurous arrival my first trip led to the San Miguel de Azapa Museum of the University of Tarapacá, where one of the oldest mummies of the world can be found. The Chinchorro tribe started to mummify some of its dead people 6000-5000 b.C. with quite simple techniques. After quitting the inner organs and the muscles from the bones, they put a bandage made of ash, leafs, wood etc. and finally they put the skin on the bandage, and a painted wooden mask on the face. During the centuries the method was changing, getting better, but never reached the "proficiency" of the Egyptians. It's interesting that they mummified embryos and babies, that the time it was strange to have that strong connections with babies due to high mortality rate after birth.
After I visited the Colibri Sanctuary, which was rather a bio-farm with a huge private zoo. The owner led a group of tourist and showed her dominion, full of animals. Next to the free living colibries, some other exotic birds (in cage), leguans, lama, goats, sheeps etc. I did not know that the colibries are not just eating nectars but small insects as well. That is why she lets grow and spread some parasites on the flowers the colibries are visiting. She has a special "hotel" for exotic birds, for the people who are going to holiday or working abroad for longer time and have a bird at home, she gives refuge.
Finally I visited the museum and monument for a big decisive battle of the Guerra del Pacifico (huge war between Chile-Peru-Bolívia in 1879-83). The view from the monument to the city is beautiful, but the museum contains less information about the conflict than the Wikipedia.
After my arrival, the departure turned to be adventurous from Arica. I had to take a so called "collectivo", a shared taxi from Arica to go to the nearest Peruvian city, Tacna (for fixed price). Where I had to take a taxi from one bus terminal to an other, where I was pushed into a bus of 9 persons, with 10 other passengers, baggage on the roof. At first sight Peru seems to be very cheep. The taxi for Arica-Tacna (40 km) cost 5 USD, while the trip Tacna-Puno (360 km) was 20 USD. I am sure that in the tourist highlights I will be charged much more! :-) During the bus ride I had a chance to realise that I can survive a rise from 2500 m above see level to 4500 m in half an hour quite good. Most of the local people were sleeping or worse, but I felt just a bit sleepy over 4000, but after 15 min I was shooting already fotos. Against the headache the hotel manager gave me coca-tea. I got better very soon. :-) for dinner I had a poor "cuy", alias guinea pig. I did not know what I asked for, just when it arrived I got a shock.