Blogs from Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 111

So started on monday with the classes my teacher Renzo is sound. Learning to count was no problem as I was doing the bingo on sunday. Every day it is two hours of theory and then into the city with the teachers to learn you stuff in real life. Friday we do a reality tour and will go to the slumps and orphanages. Today (wednesday) a city walk, yesterday to the market, nice with all the chopped off animal heads and bulls dicks being prepared. Loads of little cute hamsters for the Peruvian dinner and dried lama embryos. On monday we went to eat cebiche with our teachers, lovely seafood marinated in lime. Seafood is really good here, squid, octopus, sole, shrimps, sea snails etc etc. I also met my two roommates, Judith and Sabien, who ... read more

Wow what a week. Exactly a week ago I left for Colca Canyon for what is considered one of the hardest, but most rewarding, hikes in South America. Here is the breakdown of one of the most amazing, exhausting, and trying experiences of my life. Day 1 Ohad, my Israelli hiking partner, and I woke at 2:45 to catch a 3:30 bus to Cabanaconde, the starting point for our hike. Although we were both very nervous about this hike (we had both read that it is extremely hard), I was especially nervous because I was starting the whole thing with a bad case of diarrhrea, which is especially worrisome because of the scarsity of water in the area. So, arriving at 10:30 am, I was already sweating from nerves even before being slapped by the extremely ... read more

So when I woke up this morning after a good nights rest I went into town to get a map of Arequipa. After I found one decided to get out of town as I wanted some nature. Took a cab to Molina de Sabandia, just outside Arequipa and wandered around in the surroundings and visited to Molina, which was built in the 17th century and totally restored into working order in 1973. Here I saw my first apalca who went bezerk in the mud, such cute looking animals! Apparently they taste quite good as well! There was also a lama who was a bit more shy and didn´t want his picture taken. Also some funny wurms were crawling in the gardens. Later on I went to have some dinner in the area were I am living, ... read more

hello friends and family! sorry for the lag in blog updates. the past 3 weeks have been a string of travel and trips, and i have been admittedly bad at checking in and carving out Internet time. however, i am ready to amend the lapse, so get ready for some updates! after a few days in la paz and the huyani potosi adventure, i set out for Copacabana (the Bolivian version), a small town on the southern shores of lake Titicaca. Copacabana, while somewhat geared to the traversing tourist, is also a nice place to kick back and relax for a few days. there are several day hikes and the requisite string of gringo restaurants and artisan shops, but more importantly....its the launching point for the isla del sol. ever since starting my planning for South ... read more

Just got back from 2 days in the Colca Canyon and thought we´d give a quick update before we head to Puno (for Lake Titicaca) on Monday 13th. We got picked up from our hostel on Friday morning (happy birthday dad!) and squeezed into a Minivan for the long, bumpy and erraticly driven ride to the Colca Canyon from Arequipa. We´ve mentioned before but Arequipa is about 2500m asl, winding in itself, but we travelled north and ´up´ a further 100 or so miles (and about 2000m vertically) on a mostly unpaved road winding its way between the volcanos and snow-covered mountains.... On the way we stopped for some coca tea (made with real coca leaves no less) which is supposed to help the altitude sickness. Saw plenty of Llamas, Alpacas (like Llamas but smaller) aswell ... read more