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April 2023

April 2023 - April 2024
An open-ended adventure by Tui Snider Read more
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  • TravelerApril 2023
    Day 1

    Arica Walk

    April 1, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We’d never visited Arica, Chile before so we decided to simply wander through town with our fabulous Romanian friends, Constantin and Maria.

    Like Cape Town, a large mountain stands watch over Arica and helps keep your bearings. I tend to anthropomorphize such geological features. To me, they impart a certain feeling to a town. Like trees, they are silent witnesses to all the follies of us shortsighted humans.

    We had three items on our “to see” list, but only managed two due to the heat and steep inclines. Ah, well.

    Some of the sidewalks around Arica feature the same geoglyph designs as can we seen from the air in the nearby Arica desert.

    While that desert is one of the most arid places in the world, I swear it was rather humid as we wandered town. (Hey, it’s a port, and had rained recently.)

    Townsfolk were quite friendly. Many of them greeted us with smiles and hellos, and were happy to give us directions when needed. Neither Constantin nor Maria know Spanish, so I had fun translating their questions for shopkeepers.

    After seeing the cathedral and museum we started off towards the cemetery, but never made it. The heat made us woozy, so we stopped at a cafe for cold drinks and before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ship.

    The photo of the llama on the phone makes me laugh because it’s a visual pun. “Llamar” means “to call” so the llama is making a “llama.” Hehe!

    Constantin and Maria started calling Larry “ombra” which means “shadow” in Romanian. I tried to say he was the “hombre de ombras” but it didn’t work in their language.

    By then end of the day, Maria and I also earned nicknames. She’s “caffea” due to her sun loving nature, and I’m “mozzarella” due to my pale hue.

    We still need to come up with a good nickname for Constantin! (Update: his nickname is “lămâie” which means “lemon” in Romanian. He puts lemon on everything at dinner!)

    We had such a fun day with our sweet Romanian friends! We’re so comfortable with Constantin and Maria now. We’re sure gonna miss them when this trip ends.

    Constantin and I have already agreed to become pen pals. He’ll write in English and I’ll reply in Romanian. I hope they visit us in Texas, but it doesn’t seem too likely.

    There may be a trip to Romania in our future, however!

    ps I don’t know what those pigeons are standing on, though I suspect it’s a pile of grain. I’ve never seen so many pigeons in one place before!    Read more

  • TravelerApril 2023
    Day 1

    Museo Colón 10

    April 1, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    In 2004, skeletal remains were discovered by a construction company excavating foundations for a new hotel in Arica, Chile.

    They originally planned to move the remains to a museum in a neighboring town, but eventually decided to keep the site intact and build a museum around it.

    That’s why Museo Colón 10 is named for its address on Colón Street, right at the base of the path leading to the top of El Morro, the big mountain overlooking town.

    This archaeological discovery was quite a surprise. A house stood here for over a hundred years, but no one realized it was on top of an 4,000-year-old cemetery.

    In all, 48 bodies were found during the excavations. As you can see from my photos, visitors are able to view these skeletal remains through the glass and floor.

    The ancient Chinchorro people buried their dead with heads facing south. Several bodies show evidence of artificial mummification, along with painted hair and wigs, while others seem to have simply been buried, with no preservation intended.

    The Chinchorro bodies lack cavities, but the teeth are worn down from chewing food with sand residue in it. They were fishermen, and since the ears show bony growths, this indicates they spent a lot of time underwater, as divers.

    The two wooden items seen here were simply described as ritual items. The black mask was part of a manmade mummy. The Chinchorro people created masks for the face and attached a wig of human hair to it with mud.

    The reason a cemetery is located here is because the ancient Chinchorro people made pilgrimages for rituals (including funerals) to El Morro.    Read more

  • TravelerApril 2023
    Day 1

    El Morro

    April 1, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Just like the ancient Chinchorros, we were drawn to El Morro, the rocky hill overlooking Arica.

    El Morro offers quite a view, even though we only made it partway up. (It was so darn hot that we got a little woozy out in the heavy sun, especially once there were no more options for shade.)

    I don’t know why the stairs are painted as they are, but I like it. I also enjoyed the various murals, including one showing a Chinchorro fisherman using tools we had just seen in the nearby museum.    Read more

  • TravelerApril 2023
    Day 1

    Signs in Arica

    April 1, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    I always keep an eye out for graffitti and posters in cities around the world because they offer a window into the concerns of locals in a way that travel guides sometimes gloss over or ignore.

    In Arica, we noticed several small casinos tucked along the main shopping street. One of them had a handwritten sign saying they needed a senorita.

    A few steps away, I noticed a series of posters honoring International Women’s Day. Each poster features a woman or girl, along with information about her disappearance or death. They all seem to date from the 70s or 80s.

    One poster, for instance, explains that 13-year-old Nadia Fuentes Concha lost her life while crossing the street in crossfire from a military patrol.

    Several countries in South America suffered under military dictatorships in the 1970s and 80s. It’s horrific to think about a government abducting and killing citizens, but that was the case.

    Throughout South America you will see graffiti mentioning “abuelas de Mayo”(grandmothers of May), or simply “abuelas.”

    These abuelas are women who protested after their family members were abducted during these dictatorships. Many were never seen again, but some mass graves were eventually found. The women would wear white headscarves and March together in public squares to protest.

    Seeing graffitti depicting these brave women is how I first learned about “los desaparecidos” aka “the disappeared.”

    Some other graffiti I saw in Arica: “todos tenemos sangre Mapuche, los pobres en las venas, y los ricos en los manos” which means, “Everyone has Mapuche blood, the poor in their veins and the rich on their hands.”

    Another poster read: “Transfobia es colonial, Autonomia para los pueblos.” I’m not sure what they’re driving at with, “transphobia is colonial, autonomy for the towns.” Maybe saying that transphobia is a vestige of colonial belief systems? I dunno.

    I’m really not sure about the last photo. I think the top poster is about violence towards women. Not sure why the woman has an anarchy symbol by her neck.

    Then below it there’s something about how “Your feminism has too many theories and lacks all the murders, disappeared and locked up by this heterocis themes of shit and romance.”

    I don’t claim to understand all this, but as I said, I like to keep an eye on graffiti to see another layer to the places we visit.    Read more

  • TravelerApril 2023
    Day 1

    Lovely Chilean Ladies

    April 1, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    On our way back to the ship, we came across these lovely ladies. When we asked if we could take their photo, they said, “Of course!”and began striking poses.

    In retrospect, I can’t believe we didn’t ask about their costumes. Instead, we just made small talk. They asked us where we’re from and had questions about the ship and we just assumed they were folkloric dancers.

    Silly us. I blame the heat!    Read more

  • TravelerApril 2023
    Day 3

    Leaping Fish & Dolphins Close Up

    April 3, 2023, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Before the internet, the only proof I had that other writers existed were bookstores and libraries.

    For many years, I felt quite alone in my compulsion to play with words. When coworkers asked how I’d spent the weekend, they were baffled. Sure, they liked to read, who writes for fun?

    I often wondered: Where are all the writers?

    I sometimes experience a similar feeling at sea. While I know the ocean teems with life, much of it stays out of sight.

    We can cruise for days without seeing a single fish near the surface. Many times, the only proof of their existence is fishing boats and seafood on our menu.

    I often wonder: Where are all the fish?

    Lately, there has been no need to wonder!
    From a distance, what appears to be a cluster of whitecaps often turns out to be a school of fish.

    Near Manta, I even saw jagged finned tuna leaping in the air. (We thought they were dolphins at first.)

    We’ve seen dolphins quite a few times on this journey, but lately they’ve been so close to the ship that we could even see them swimming underwater!    Read more

  • TravelerApril 2023
    Day 3

    Lima: Graffitti & Signs

    April 3, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Here are a few murals, signs, and graffiti that I saw in Lima, Peru.

    After the recent political unrest, I expected to see more, but there was a noticeable lack of posters and graffiti near the port. Maybe anything put up is quickly taken down?

    I’m curious about the billboard for the tourist town, Castillo de Chancay. Funny how the main feature is a great big hunk of meat!

    I really liked the blue and black mural. I think it depicts a vulture, but I’m not sure. We Cerro saw a lot of black headed and turkey vultures swirling through the skies here.    Read more

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