Southern Peru

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I'm staring at the cross bearing pinnacle of the white-washed Christian monastary (the name escapes me-- San something). There are many here in Arequipa, the grandest of which presides over the Plaza de Armas in the central square. They are impressive and along with the narrow cobblestone streets create a very European aesthetic. Buildings are all made of stone, and once entered, generally reveal immense courtyards and terraced levels.

To my left, from our rooftop hangout is one of the three neighboring volcanoes. Again the name escapes me but it is either Mt. Mishu or Pichu Pichu. Either way it is immense and hits 5,600 m. Snow still hangs off the peak.

We are enjoying Arequipa. My nose burns from the elevation (the town sits at 2,500 m). As mentioned, the streets are pleasant, the people more so, and the views more still. We´re toying with the idea of spending a week here and enrolling in a language course before making the winding 6 hour bus ride to the small village of Cabañaconde.

Cabañaconde sits at the edge of Cañon del Coca, the second deepest canyon in the world, and second only to its neighboring canyon by a mere 160m. From there we plan to embark on several day hikes and an overnight into the canyon.

After a week in Peru we are starting to slowly find our rhythm. It is easy to get caught in the current of the ¨Gringo trail¨, where one can experience South America as tourist agencies would like you to experience it. This doesn´t interest us, but regardless, we´ll never fully be able to leave its comfortable and convenient grip. Our strategy-- with the right amount of research and the development of relationships-- we can broaden the scope of our experience.

The most readily available beer is called Cusqueña, but here in Arequipo it is the Arequipeña. By far the best food we´ve encountered is ceviche. It is also the national cuisine, but comes with a warning if you attempt to indulge too far from the coast. Locally, the odd cuisine is cuy, or in English-- guinea pig.

I´m using this blog of course to share stories and paint a picture of where we are, but I´m sure it will run the gamut of functions. Some posts will be more of an inventory for my own recollection, less literary but informative nonetheless.

Thanks for reading.

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Photos

The Andes
Two of the three neighboring volcanoes, reaching around 16,000 ft.

Arequipa
The view from the outside of our hostel.

Comments

[korpalski]

Southern Peru
Awesome photos, and great commentary. Thanks for sharing. Mom

[korpalski]

I'm very jealous...
it's been raining for six straight days in Athens, GA, I have an exam today, and one tomorrow, and the biggest project of the year is due one week from today...I've yet to start. Perhaps I'll just hop on a flight from Atlanta tonight... Glad to hear things are going well. Enjoy!

[korpalski]

breath taking
Reading your blogs is like a page out of National Geographics... in other words very interesting with great pictures. You must find every day even more rewarding. Uncle Joe