Blogs from Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 44

Da ist man schon 5 Monate in Peru und hat so viele Dinge noch nicht gesehen, z.B. Arequipa auch genannt die Weisse Stadt, aufgrund der zahleichen Bauwerken aus weißem Sillar-Gestein vulkanischen Ursprungs. Arquipa liegt im Sueden Peru´s und schmueckt sich mit zahlreichen mittelalterlichen Plaetzen, Kloestern und engen Gassen. UNESCO erklärte 2000 das Stadtzentrum von Arequipa zum Weltkulturerbe. 1541 mit dem Stadtrecht ausgestattet, entwickelte sich Arequipa schnell zur wichtigen Handelsstadt zwischen der Küste und den Anden. Durch die ergiebige Landwirtschaft im Colca-Tal, dem Bergbau und der Produktion von Wein und Wolle sowie der Anbindung mit der Eisenbahn (1870), zwischen dem Seehafen Matarani und den Städten Cuzco und Puno, stieg die Bedeutung Arequipas zur heute zweitgroessten Stadt Peru´s. Recht nah an der Kueste gelegen und damit zur Nasca-platte ist Arequipa anfa... read more

A flight at 10:30 this morning from Lima to Areqeuipa gave us our first real taste of altitude (2,000m) as we disembarked. A warm sunny morning, we took in the sights of the terraced cultivation in the valley and the volcanoes surrounding the city before checking in at our hotel and having a light lunch nearby. Mauricio, our genial host, was at pains to tell us that he had worked for a British company, Rio Tinto, and that we could come back in the evening for a free pisco sour, listen to music and enjoy the food. It has the advantage of being close to the hotel...This afternoon, with our Arequipa guide Helmut, we walked around the square, visited the Monasteri de Santa Catalina (a "city" with a city) which has been open to the public ... read more

WATER RAFTING ON RIO CHILI (River Chili), Arequipa: White water rafting in Arequipa was a BLAST... The rapids we were on were level 3 and 4, not completely insane but enough to get your blood pumping. It was Tom, Sophie, Celia (two very fun English gals), Luuci (our guide) and me, and the five of us made a GREAT team. Team work in water rafting is the key and we had it down pat... well until we hit a sketchy rapid and Celia and I capsized, very funny but a lil scary! I thought the whole raft had tipped and was on top of me, tho luckily when I came up I could see blue sky, and three of our team still in the raft. Luuci reacher out his paddle for me to grab but I ... read more

Blog Machu Picchu DAY ONE: After a late night packing our duffle bag and buying last minute socks and ponchos etc we set off in a bus to Ollantaytambo where we all bought a walking stick and water. We then drove onto Km 82 which is the starting point for the Inca Trail. We carried only our day pack, snacks and water whilst the porters carried our duffle bags, tents, portable kitchen, food etc. They are amazing. We needed to go through a check point where our passports were checked and stamped. To start we crossed a suspension bridge which we called the Golden Gate of Machu Picchu. Tim was surprised how hot it was, as we were all set up for cold weather. Day one was a pleasant walk, starting at 2,600m finishing at ... read more

We hadden nog een dagje vrij te besteden in Arequipa voordat we door zouden gaan naar Puno. Arequipa stond net zoals de andere steden vol met koloniale gebouwen. Erg mooi. In elke stad kan je rondwandeling wel starten vanaf Plaza de Armas (oftewel Plaza Major). Het hoogtepunt hier was toch wel het monasteria de Santa Catalina. Het klooster was een afgesloten wijk die heel lang niet toegankelijk is geweest voor buitenstaanders. Het complex bestond uit pleinen in de kleuren wit, oranje, rood en blauw (het had wel Holland kunnen zijn) met doorgangen en overal kamertjes die dienden als keukens, slaapkamers, kapelletjes en woonkamers. Vanaf uitkijkpunten konden we inmense vulkaan Misti zien liggen. Wat een uitzicht!!!! In de stad zelf zagen we zelfs de kerstman in het groen het verkeer regelen en liep Spìderman spullen te verkopen. ... read more