Advertisement
Published: September 29th 2008
Edit Blog Post
At the SAE Entrance
188 Choquechaca, Cuzco, a must stop for all Gringo's On this sunny Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast, a taxi collects me at Los Ninos Hacienda at 9 a.m. My plan today is to visit the
South American Explorers (SAE) Cuzco Clubhouse and catch the 2:45 Lan Peru flight to Arequipa.
Now back at the friendly Los Ninos I at calle Meloc 442 I walk up the hill to Tambo de Montero, and on that street walk northeast, first down a hill as the street narrows and the shops give way to a series of small flats with tile or tin roofs, then up a steep set of steps toward San Cristobal church on the hill. From just below the church, breathing raspily, I turn southeast down Atuad, then northeast at Ladrillo, finding a way into the San Blas neighborhood. I see signs for backpacker cafe's and artists' shops. Then the avenue Choquechaca, running southeast, and looking for 188, the location of the SAE clubhouse. Here, through a green door on the street and through a small courtyard and up two flights, there's the reception. Manager Karen Ward, a Brit, finds that the office is out of the topo map that covers the most of the area of my upcoming trek from
Colca Canyon to Andagua village.
We have a friendly though brief chat and I promise to submit a trip write up, though I'd need to find out what that means, and I skip going upstairs to the lounge area as the time to go to the airport nears. I'll try to visit again on the return to Cuzco on Sept 7. The return to Los Ninos is more direct via the narrow walkway street of Siete Culebras, which opens on to the Plaza de Nazarenes after the many examples of Spanish architechure built over precision cut walls and foundations of Inca stonework in Basalt. Walking westward I see many shops selling alpaca items and the crafts and artwork of local artists, but I've made more purchase of native weaving from the weaver's guild in Pisac, two days earlier during the Sacred Valley tour: table runner and smaller table covers made of naturally dyed alpaca wooven on small looms in by the two ladies of Pisac.
The plane to Arequipa is on time. After a 25 minute flight over the Peruvian altiplano, we land first at Juliaca City and the airport serving Puno and Lake Titicacca. This is a
Arequipa Approach
A view of the Peruvian altiplano approaching Arequipa from the east. barren area of brown rock and dirt, at 12,622 feet, with signs just across the runway from the terminal of people eeking out a subsistence existence raising sheep, cattle, and llama. Soon we are bound for Arequipa.
Arequipa is Peru's 2nd largest city with a population of 750,000. We fly by the volcano Misti and make the approach over what look to be quarries of sillar, white volcanic rock, and the primary construction stone in the area. There's a reference to the fertile valley of Arequipa on wikipedia, but I don't see much evidence of it this time of year. Photos I've seen do show verdant fields outside of the city.
At the airport I'm greeted by Edison, and I soon learn that he will guide me on my Peruvian Trek in the Andes. The tour operator has sent him to meet me at the airport. We quickly establish that we can communicate in basic Spanish or English (more English), and I inform him that I need to secure various items for the trek. He also asks if I'm a bit loco, having decided on this trek. Of course the answer is yes, just a bit. The fact
On Arequipa Streets
My guide for the Andagua trek copilots the cab that I'm solo and possibly not yet informed regarding what I'm getting into are the primary factors. The SAE manager has indicated it's a wonderful trek. I figure he's also asking about my fitness, and so I explain my marathon training (interrupted by a groin pull) and my past experience in the mountains of Colorado--though I don't tell him how long ago those Colorado escapades were. He says, in Spanish, "That's interesting" in a tone that telegraphs "big deal."
After depositing my gear in my room at the Hotel Asturias, off we go, on foot, in Areqequipa center, first finding a place to buy a backpack. The backpacks for rent are too small he says. At his advice we hold off purchasing, but it turns out no other outfitting shops are open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in this vicinity. The streets are full of taxis, the sidewalks busy with young people walking. It's a clear dry late afternoon, the norm for Arequipa. The sky darkens as we walk on Calle Jerusalen west toward the Plaza de Armas, where we'll look for a camara filter to replace the polarizing filter I lost while on the horseride to Tipon, some snacks,
El Chachani View
Arriving at Rodriguez Ballon Intl Airport and batteries. We head back to the hotel via calle San Franscisco, a street of restaurants and other shops ranging from books to pants. In the lobby Edison gives me a rundown of the trek and tells me to be ready promptly at 10:45 Monday morning. We've still got to go back to the shop for that backpack and matt.
It's a first night in Arequipa, and I go find a phone to call home on, having found the phone card is hard to work on the hotel phone. I eat dinner in a Turkish restaurant, Kabob I, having humus and a kabab, finished by a turkish coffee. Maybe the Moors weren't kicked out here. The Arequepian Peruvian traditional stuffed pepper will have to wait another time. This area of Arequipa has a Spanish feel to it, and this Saturday night looks to be rowdy due to the festivale tomorrow. I'm back at the room soon, catching up on news via BBC and CNN, but not too much. No need to taint the trip with that.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.119s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 6; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0771s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb