Blogs from Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 16

From Nazca I got on the bus headed for Arequipa...arriving first thing in the morning. After some food and a shower it was time to explore, heading for the monestry which was huge, and beautifully maintained. After some lunch at a cute little cafe in a Melbourne-like lane way, it was off to visit the mummy museum where an exhibit of the ice girl (Juanita) who was found not too long after after a volcanic eruption freed her from her tomb, was on display, It was quite a confronting exhibition, but very interesting. In the evening we met up with Lili and Renee (friends from Nazca) and had dinner up a few stories at a rooftop restaurant which looks over the beautiful Arequipa Plaza de Armas. After checking out the night life it was back to ... read more

After extricating myself from the clutches of La Paz, I made my way to Colca Canyon in an effort to purify myself by trekking in the wild environs of southern Peru. This canyon is actually deeper than the Grand Canyon and only plays second fiddle to one other canyon which also slithers its way through a nearby region in Peru, albeit a little more remotely located. Joining me on this trekking endeavour were some great people that I ran into whilst walking around the streets of Arequipa, recognising them as members of the bar staff from my hostel in La Paz. After a brief discussion, we all realised that we had the same aim of escaping party central in La Paz and restoring a healthy balance to our lives by going trekking. After having a conversation ... read more

We flew into Arequipa after being told that it was a ‘nice’ place to visit, and so it was. It is more than just a place to stopover to acclimatise to the higher altitudes to come, even though it does serve this purpose admirably being 2325 metres above sea level. We stayed just off the main square which proved a good location. The main square is substantial and very pretty. It is bordered on three sides by double story buildings with large verandas and on the fourth side by a church. We enjoyed walking around the square and observing the ‘goings-on’ each day. On our first day Eileen was unwell and so I went to lunch alone. I sat on the balcony upstairs overlooking the square and I felt like Ernest Hemmingway. I had a whole ... read more

Last few days in Arequipa have been really nice and relaxed....did some walking round the various parts of the city and spent some quality time sitting on park benches and people watching. The weather has continued to be sunny and hot during the day, so have made the most of basking in the sunshine! There have been a couple more demonstrations in Arequipa over the past few days (I am going to miss all this passion), as well as Arequipa's answer to Kurt Cobain making a public appearance and there was a music video being shot near the tennis courts a couple of days ago (unfortunately I didn't have my camera for that one). With sadness I will be saying farewell to my hostel drinking buddies....however my liver is looking forward to the no alcohol for ... read more

So 27 hours after we set off from Huaraz we arrived an hour ahead of schedule into Arequipa... These Cruz del Sur buses rock!!!! A short taxi ride later and we were being shown around our new home for the evening Arequipa Backpackers..... After seeing the upstairs roof terrace, downstairs garden complete with hammocks and gas heater for keeping the chill off in the evenings, huge kitchen, 2 DVD Rooms, Pool Room, Play Station Room, 3 PCs...... All for the bargain price of £5.50 per night.... Oh and to quote... 'we're sorry we don't provide breakfast but we do offer fresh bread daily, which is complimentary'.....it didn't take much thinking about.... We booked for another night! By 1pm we were heading out to explore.... Arequipa's a really pretty place, surrounded by volcanos and snow topped mountains, ... read more