Blogs from Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 117

That is what they shout out at the bus stations as you are waiting for your bus and you seriously want to thump someone.... Arequipa, Arequipa, ARRREEEEQUUUIPPAAAA! It is only 8 in the morning and you know it is going to be a long day! So it was. They have a habit of lying about the length of bus journeys here. We were assured time and again that it was a mere 5 hours. Even if you look at them dubiously because your guidebook (aka The Bible) tells you it is more than 8, they insist on 5. So eight hours later we roll into Arequipa. Got ourselves to the Plaza des Armas (all main squares are called this in Peru) and installed ourselves in a little hostal 2 blocks from the main square. Oh how ... read more

With the Inca Trail done and dusted, I was focused on hiking-type challenges and I had heard a lot about Arequipa´s Colca Canyon trek. This is a three day jobbie with two of those days comprising a very steep descent and ascent of the canyon walls. It was a gamble to travel there as this strenuous activity was the only thing calling me and my knee was giving me a hard time, even on small staircases. With a shrug and a touch of my lucky charm I jumped on an overnight bus from Cusco. After a freezing night on the road, we rolled into Peru´s Second City and I checked into a hotel recommended over beers in Cusco. It was a bit dark and dingy there and they were all set to fumigate, asking me to ... read more

Yesterday I was lucky enough to celebrate my 25th birthday in the gorgeous Colca Canyon, about 3 hours from Arequipa, where I am now, which is Peru´s second city. The canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and is the best place in all of Peru to see the famed Peruvian condor. The 5am wakeup call yesterday was worth it in order to head to viewpoint to watch the canyon´s condors as they catch the thermal drafts to the top of the canyon. They soar amazingly close to the viewpoint and as a result the digicam was in overdrive. In the afternoon, I did some hiking in the mountains overlooking the valley where our hostal was located. We walked to some nearby pre-Inca ruins and then through the very small, quaint village of Paraoque. ... read more

Invite PETA to Arequipa Peru to experience a great sport - bull fighting - no not man vs. beast, but beast vs. beast... An absolutely enlightning experience which has a great correleation and application towards mankind - for instance, the bull that makes the most noise before the fight - is usually not the victor. Photos to follow. When a society does not have a massive technology base - it resorts to more humanistic endeavors - OK bull fighting may not be humanistic perse. however, arts, music, long lunches, spending time with family and friends. The world has a great many inhabitants which are worthy, loving, suffering, contributing and accepting of their fate. Then there are those which feel the world should be the way they want it to be - people should have a certain ... read more

Arequipa, the capital of the state of Arequipa is located at 7300ft asl in the central cordillera de los andes - an old colonial style town, with buildings, churches and the plaza de armas (town square) just as it was some two hudred years ago when the spaniards conquered peru. Upon arriving from the coast of arequipa, via the twisting, turning and long nine hour ride on the cattle bus (locked inside a compartment with two stops for nature breaks), several stops to take on interim passengers (the driver picks up people to make a little extra cash), and leaving behind the friends i made in puerto inca - i was tired, but glad to be alive in arequipa. The streets on friday night were like an ocean of the masses had been spilt onto the ... read more