Ice Magic!

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Argentina won and yesterday we all bought football strip T-shirts for about 2gbp! (i think they saw us coming) That night we went out to an itallian place on the beach where they did great ice cream and they had Ice Magic! I hadnt had it in so long so i was well chuffed! Were in Arequipa just now in Peru. Its a quick stopover between Chile and Cusco. We shared a collecivo with the hot surfer dude we met at the cool hostel in arica. the collectivo took us over the border and then we got a bus to Arequipa. The bus journey was quite interesting as they played dubbed films really loud. They showed "White Chicks" a crappy american film that was so awful I could still appreciate it even though it was in spanish! Then just as i was falling asleep they started playing Peruvian music videos with the volume at full blast. The music was so monotonous and irritating that it was actually quite funny.

Arequipa is officially called the White City because all the buildings are made from white volcanic rock from the region. Its so pretty and bit like antigua in guatemala. theres a pretty central square with palm trees and a gorgeous fountain and its surrounded by buildings with pretty arches and nice coffee shops. Last night when we arrived we checked into the same hostel as Antony (the surfer dude) and we all headed out to dinner. We went for some mexican food and after we went to a great Jazz bar where there was a fantastic live band playing all the good stuff (Night and Day, Blue Moon etc) Naomi and I were knackered after the long bus journey and so much rich food so we left Laura and Antony to it and headed to bed. Today i had the first sleep in ive had in a while and then we headed out to find some lunch. Afterwards Laura and Naomi went shoe shopping while Antony and I headed to the Museum where they have mummies preserved in ice from the Inca period. I remember seeing something about it on Blue Peter. We took the tour and the guide explained all about where and when the mummies were found. There was 18 mummies found in total, all children under 13. They were offered as sacrifices to the Inca Gods about 500 years ago. They were found on the volcanoes that surround the city. They had the best preserved mummy on show. A 13 year old girl called Juanita. It was a bit creepy as she was really well preserved and she was found with loads of offerings around her. Lots of little dolls and pots and figurines. Afterward we headed to the Catherdral on the main square. Its such a beautiful building and inside was also gorgeous. We took some pictures and now were in the hostel waiting for the girls to return from their shopping spree! Were heading to Cuszco tonight on the overnight bus. It should take about 11hrs and hopefull they wont play anymore crappy Peruvian dance music at such a high volume!

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