Rafting and partying with the locals

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Arequipa - 28th of May to the 2nd of June 2009

It was dark by the time we arrived in Arequipa and we had no idea where to stay. We decided on somewhere recommended by the Lonely Planet but got distracted by the taxi driver who showed us another guesthouse type place in a beautiful colonial building. Having our own ensuite room with cable TV won out, even though it was slightly more expensive than where we were planning on staying. AXN has become too much of an addiction - I don't know what we'll do when we go home! After checking in, we went for some dinner (alpaca steaks) but quickly returned to the hotel for showers, TV and sleep.

On Friday, we did very little except wander around the town. Since this was my second and Richard's third visit to Arequipa, we had already explored quite a lot of museums and things before. So we just enjoyed the sunshine, the amazing views of Misti (the volcano) and booked white water rafting for the next day.

On Saturday morning, we were up early to go rafting on the Rio Chile. The guide was very safety conscience, probably a bit to much so, and made me nervous about the whole thing. But once we were on the river, I really enjoyed it. The rapids are all grade three or four but I wanted more! It was freezing though and my feet went dead within five minutes of being in the water. We had a fun few hours but Richard said it was better when he went before.

The reason we had come all the way back to Arequipa was because Jamie's Mum was having a party for her birthday. Caroline, Jamie's mum, and Jamie have been really good to Richard so he wanted to go back to see them. On Saturday afternoon, we got ourselves ready and went to my first Peruvian party. The party, which started around 3pm, was in Caroline's house and garden. We spent a nice afternoon listening to the music and chatting. At one point, Richard and Jamie's friend Freddy said "wouldn't it be great if a mariachi arrived" and two minutes later one did, complete with the hat and guns. In the early hours of the morning, after dancing with the locals and many rum and cokes, we got a taxi back to town. But not before I fainted. Altitude does not agree with me!

The next day, we did very little except sleep, watch TV and eat. On Monday, after visiting the Cathedral, we had lunch on the Plaza de Armas and sat around enjoying the sunshine. Around 5pm, we met Jamie and her boyfriend Matt. She invited us to her house for a birthday lunch for her mum the next day so we organised bus tickets for the next night. Once we left the bus terminal, we tried to go go-karting but it was closed. So we went to a bar instead and spent a pleasant evening and early morning chatting and catching up, grabbing some Mexican food along the way.

We were still sleepy when we woke up on Tuesday but I got up to ring Emmett and wish him a happy birthday. After searching high and low for flowers for Caroline, we eventually found some in a great indoor market and made our way to Jamie's. The afternoon was passed sipping on Pisco sours and nibbling on crisps. That evening, Matt and Jamie cooked a great BBQ, accompanied by some lovely salads. It was a nice day but Richard and I had to leave around 10pm so that we could pack our stuff.

Our bus was meant to leave at 12.30am but didn't arrive until 2.30am. We napped while waiting and them settled down for the nightbus to La Paz, crossing a different border this time (where my passport caused some confusion).

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