Blogs from Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 9

Thursday 7th June Last day in Cusco...following the early rises from the previous days, I thought I was going to get a long lie in...no chance! I was up at 6am, so decided to tackle the packing ahead of my departure to Arequipa later this evening. So rather than putting my dirty clothes to a laundry, I have instead re-packed everything so that the clean clothers are easier to access...I am sure my new washing machine back home can cope with the Peruvian dust no problem. Today is an unexpected surprise, there is a local Christian festival. So I arrived in the town square at 9:30am and got a prime spot to watch the parade and listen to the sermon and beautiful signing (what a turn for the books considering my lack of christian faith other ... read more

Some things you may not know about Peru. The Incas were originally Japonese monks. The Inca civilisation invented ink. Peru means share the love. Peru is home to only 3 people. I find it har... read more

The road from Punta Arenas to Arica has taken us the entire length of Chile, and now it really is time to leave. A scant few miles to the north of Arica lies the Peruvian border, and beyond that a vast new country to explore. However, we're only going to be spending a few days in Peru - this time around, at least. While in San Pedro de Atacama, we booked flights to Colombia, at the very top of the continent. We then plan to swing southwards in a rough "C" shape, passing through Ecuador, and to visit Peru properly from around July. The reasons behind the rather odd itinerary are purely climatic - July and August will be a better time to do some hiking in the Peruvian Andes, which after the wonders of Patagonia ... read more

Hey folks, Happy Woman's Day! I didn't even know that day existed. Oops.. but they celebrate it here for sure. Ok-- that was from a saved blog I had started. Woman's Day is actually on March 9th.. haha. Remember when I said in my last blog, I'm going to try to blog more often and give you more information. Here goes for real this time. The Job Alright I currently have a job! I work in the mornings and some evenings and I'm at the Home in the afternoons (most afternoons). I teach English. I taught myself how to teach, probably not the best profesora in the world, but it works! Julia my roommate has helped me a lot as well. She’s very encouraging, and gives me ideas for my students. My classes are very small, ... read more

Good breakfast with yoghurt, granola, fresh fruits, eggs and fresh rolls. Tried coca tea which is supposed to help with altitude sickness. Just tastes 'green'! Neither of us have felt particularly well today - probably tiredness rather than altitude and getting dehydrated on the long bus journey yesterday. Wandered into Plaza des Armas, Arequipa's central square. It's just like Plaza des Armas in Lima only a bit smaller.... There was a demonstration happening in the centre with someone beating drums and everyone dressed in sort of white overalls with big placards and some of the people were chained together. They were being watched by a row of policemen with full riot gear. Apparently these demonstrations happen about 3 or 4 times a week and are always peaceful. Haven't a clue what they were demonstrating about but ... read more