so today was one of those days when everything just seemed nice, good and clean (except for a small pile of shit on the walk up to the mountain overlooking the town of arica).

arica, chile is a small beach city, which is a pleasant change to peru. things are still relatively cheap, but everything (and everyone) just seems more modern and easier to deal with. i had lunch at a small sandwhich place (still not as good as chacarero’s in boston, but close), then hiked up a large mound (150m tall) next to the center of the city. on top of the hill is a military museum which seems to be in the old army fort (arica was a fighting ground between peru/chile). it was also really nice being by the ocean. i’ve never really missed or cared for the smell of the ocean…but this afternoon i loved the smell of it…except for the periodic whiffs of urine (yes, they pee on the street here too).

i’m now at sunny days hostel. it’s nothing fancy (it’s knda homey)….but they’re definitely making a concerted effort…and it’s probably the most thought-out hostel i’ve been at yet. why? well….they have parking, reasonable-speed wifi (which covers the entire place), two computers, dorms and private rooms, dorms with lockers, laundry, kitchen and hang-out areas. after signing in, the owner also gave me a map and list of things to do, plus a small snack of juice/cake….how awesome is that?

but here’s the really surprising thing. if you were to spend a couple hours coming up with a complete list of things a hostel should have…it’d be hard to find one in latin america. it seems that almost all hostels are owned by a person or couple who decide that a hostel is easy and convert a home into one. but most miss some critical elements…..like lockers (for locking your bags up while you’re away), wifi everywhere, cleanliness, etc. sunny days may be the closest i’ve encountered so far. i think hostals here are much more in their infancy than they are in europe.