Blogs from Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 5

I left the Llama Education Spanish School this morning about 9:30 am and started walking. Semi-random walk. I had a rough route in mind. I'd been to the center plaza and wanted to see the neighborhoods around them. I knew the river divided the city and it was pretty steep on either side. I took the first downhill street and just kept going, avoiding big roads and turning onto streets that looked like neighborhoods. I rarely used the map, occasionally checking progress to make sure I wasn't headed in circles. Arequipa has excellent street name signage. At most intersections there are street signs, even the small neighborhoods and most houses have the street name just below the house number. OK... I wrote the above paragraph, which then morphed into a separate blog, "How to Explore a ... read more

Heute in einer Woche bin ich schon am Heimweg. Momentan bin ich in Arequipa und warte auf meinem Bus nach Cabanaconde, der um ein Uhr nachts losfaehrt. In Cabanaconde befindet sich der Colca Canyon, den ich aus Zeitgruenden bei meinem ersten Besuch in Arequipa auslassen musste. Ob ich ein oder zwei Tage bleibe werde ich spontan entscheiden. Danach gehts auf jeden Fall direkt nach Lima. Meine restlichen Tage in La Paz waren ruhig, aber sehr interessant. Ich habe zuerst das Projekt PAV-4-14 besucht, wo eine Tagesbetreuung von Kindern von hilfsbeduerftigen Eltern/alleinerziehenden Muettern/... in El Alto bereitgestellt wird. Aufgrund einer gesetzlichen Aenderung in Bolivien macht das Projekt leider schwierige Zeiten durch. Neben dem Besuch der Betreuungsstation in El Alto und einer Spritztour mit dem Bus, welcher durch Mittel des Vereins "Inti fuer Strassenkinder" unterstuetzt wurde, sta... read more

So after a 12 hour night bus from Ica we arrived in Arequipa. We travelled VIP with Cruz del sur, and this made the journey very easy. The seats were big leather recliners, with a telly each and steward. Would defiantly recommend. We checked into our accommodation a Casa called Casa de Avila. It was nice all the rooms are round a central garden that has a pet turtle. We chilled out as the night bus had been long. We then explored the town getting some food. Exploring the food market which was interesting, and seeing all the old buildings. Day two was spent relaxing and shopping for winter woollies for our trek which is fast approaching. Day three we awoke early and were collected by our tour guide Olivia, along with 3 other people we ... read more

13 Aug Day 1: Lima to Arequipa Well where do I start? It seems everyone had much of a normal night of sleep. I woke up during the and couldn't get back to sleep for some time - not that that is normal. Everyone was up and about early with breakfast at 8:00am. All except for pen that is. He was quite ill after last night so back to cargo for him. He was warned so no sympathy. Our transport arrived just before 9:30am to take us to the airport for our flight to Arequipa (the QU is pronounced K). It was Jorge again. Nice bloke but doesn't say much. Probably just thinks "bloody" tourists. The ride back to the airport was again interesting but we were able to see the perils in the daylight. However, ... read more

Firstly, thank you for all the contributions to my Free Belinda fund!! If someone could just let work know it'll be 2014 before I head back that would be super! Please don't stop the donations though, happy to never return to work, or maybe remote login?? Ok, ok, no more boring work talk! This last week has been busy as usual! When I last wrote I'd just arrived in La Paz ( world's highest airport, thank you for reminding me Rick) Highlights!! Survived the worlds most dangerous road on a push bike! 6 hours, a drop in altitude of 3,500 metres and 63kms with my hands squeezed on the brakes! No pedalling required! Found a few spells at the witches market which I know will totally change my life! Wish I had invested in ear plugs ... read more