South America - a brief encounter: 2 * PERU - Arequipa and Puno *

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This is the 2nd ‘episode’ of another of 'our' travel experiences.

The collective ‘episodes’ (this being the second) describe our journey from our arrival in Buenos Aires (Sth America) from the 1st week of October for an extended tea-bag experience of this huge continent. Like home, the continent is huge. In the few weeks available to us, we can only experience a few locations - a (tea-bag) dunk here, another there, and so on. After a few days in Buenos Aires, we flew to Lima for a 'dunk' into a few selected locations. We then fly to Chile to do some more 'tea-bagging'. We'll eventually make our way back to Argentina and our departure home.



We attach a few pics to give a flavour of our journey, and some may 'flow over' past the dialogue. If we do this, you may need to manually go to the 'spillover' page to see them.



As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an accompanying picture, click it to enlarge.

A summary (for those with limited time)...

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We flew from Buenos Aires to Lima (Peru) late on October 6th and stayed near the airport as we had a flight to Arequipa the next day. Friday saw us enter the southern part of Peru at Arequipa. Saturday and Sunday were spent in Arequipa looking at the 'attractions' and getting partially acclimatised to the altitude (2000 m) in preparation for the next stage in the Alto Plano. Monday, we headed by bus to Puno - a nearly whole day trip. Puno is at 4000 m and we 'felt' the altitude. Tuesday morning we went sightseeing on Lake Titicaca and in the afternoon around Puno centre.

Friday 7th October; Lima to Arequipa...

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We had arrived late into Lima and were greeted by a pre-arranged shuttle that took us to the accommodation. The 5 km drive took over half an hour - the multi-lane 'freeway' was bedlam. After breakfast, we returned to the airport for a midday flight to Arequipa. The roads were no less chaotic, but at least we could see the causes. The shamble of buildings along the route showed much poverty also exists in Lima. That said, apparently there are more Michelin starred restaurants in Lima than any other city (globally). Clearly, some have wealth and they ain't about to share it !!! At the airport we also gained some Peruvian Sole at an ATM - gee, the ATM fee is like Cambodia $5 a hit.



As most are aware, Lima is hedged in between the Andes and the ocean. The plane departed into cloud. After a very short time the aircraft rose above the cloud and we could not only see the Andean peaks, but also that the Lima 'valley' was encircled by a high plateau. From the air, this plateau was desert. As we travelled further south, we could see on the plateau a massive escarpment furrowed with extremely deep gorge-like valleys caused by extreme erosion. Only at the base of these valleys was there any green.



Flying into Arequipa was dismal. For some time the plane descended over what looked like small 'acreage' properties, each with a fence, a shanty box dwelling, and dirt. No vegetation at all. The road from the airport was somewhat better than at Lima but the dust laden dwellings lining the road made us wonder 'what's this place going to like?'. We also noted the scant vegetation. Before long our taxi stopped at our accommodation. There was nothing to show it as such. We later noted that few buildings have any visible signage on the exterior. We hunched it to be a civil order. Like Italy (where a similar edict occurs), it did make for a more relaxed ambience than the 'busy' neon facades found in (say) Asia.



Arequipa is located on one of the very few permanent flow rivers in the region - the Rio Chili - and, has a long history; both before and after Spanish invasion.



At one time the capital of Peru, the city centre has many fine buildings. These days the city spread to become the 'metropolis' that it is today. In contrast to other cities in the region, the city administration decided that the proliferation of shanty towns had to go. In their place is a modern city that surrounds the historic city centre. That said, the outskirts of the main metropolis is largely a squalid ring of shanty towns.The 'old' city centre now has World Heritage Status and has become a major tourist attraction. The city administrators have moved the administrative and business functions to a 'new' centre a few kilometres away. Accordingly, the 'old' city centre has become devoted to tourism.



Our accommodation is within a 5 minute walk to the city centre square. After BA and Lima, we were gobsmacked at the orderliness and cleanliness. The city buildings are constructed using sillar - a white volcanic stone quarried nearby ( more here ). And, while the pavements are of a slippery basalt, they are clean and unbroken. The city is surrounded by 3 volcano's - the most obvious is El Misti which some say is returning to life . Despite Peru being on the Ring of Fire and the many earthquakes that have rocked this city, it has remarkably picked itself up after each, dusted itself down, and gotten on with life.



We'd originally planned to arrive early, wander the city, go to the Colcha Canyon the next day (staying there overnight) before returning and heading off. Perhaps beneficially, our flight got cancelled and we had to make a later departure so opted not to go to the canyon. By all reports, it's a bit over-rated if one wants to do a quick flit, but worthwhile if one wants to spend several days backpacking it.



Once settled in our accommodation, we went wandering towards the city centre that surrounds Plaza de Armas (the main square). After taking in the sights, we ventured down to Rio Chili for a (less) interrupted view of the surrounding volcano's. On our way back, we noted a craft beer bar and that was sufficient reason to stop. After all, it was beer-o'clock! As we sat in the fading afternoon sun in the pedestrian laneway, a busker appeared and set up a couple of tables away. Within minutes he began playing his guitar and pan flute. For us, it was delightful and reminded us of Briony's reports of her time in the region as an exchange student. After an ale or two, we toddled off for dinner at a delightful restaurant - the feature being a trio of BBQ'd meats; lamb, beef and alpaca (a wonderfully tasty meat). Then to bed.

Saturday 8th October; Arequipa...

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After a sleep-in, we noticed a free city 'guided walking tour'. As we learned, it was essentially a shanks pony way of getting an audience to several commercial establishments within the city area. Not that we were disappointed, we visited an vicuna, alpaca and llama wool processing factory (with the obligatory shop), an elevated restaurant with a great view of the nearby volcano's and other 'attractions'. Along the route the guide took us to some of the out of the way fine buildings and old churches. The tour ended at the 'Kiwi Bar', a pub run by - you guessed it - a Kiwi expat. Here, we were introduced to Pisco . Apparently Peru and Chile both claim to be the 'spiritual home' of Pisco. In Peru, a difference is they add egg white to the mix to make a sort of solid collar.



We spent the latter part of the day wandering further, noting some of the idiosyncrasies in building style. We returned to our digs for a bit of a rest before returning out a bit later. Near the central square a large church had classical music and a choir playing. It seemed free so we ventured inside. With an orchestra for support, the choral presentation was sublime. It was one of those pinch myself moments.



Venturing further afield, we were 'accosted' by 2 locals seeking remuneration for those seeking pictures. Dressed in all their finery, they had an added 'attraction' - a baby llama. Who could forego such a picture 'opportunity'!



Having enjoyed some craft beer the previous evening, we ventured to a different bar advertising itself on Tripadvisor as 'the best' in Arequipa. We tried, turned up our noses and didn't stay - we figured the American focus on craft beer and hamburgers in Tripadvisor appealed to a different crowd than us. We returned to the venue of the previous night and had a Peruvian 'take' on pizza; purple corn base, cured meats, green and cheese. We're learning that the notion of 'fusion food' appears central to the attraction of customers so most restaurants are doing 'their' take. We're not complaining!

Sunday 9th October; Arequipa...

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We'd planned to visit Santa Catalina Monastory, but before we did we headed off to a park reputed to have a great lookout over the 'old' city and the volcano's. Though the distance from our accommodation looked OK on the map, we soon learned that at 2100 metres our bodies weren't acclimatised for an uphill 'stroll' at this height. Taking our time we eventually arrived. Sadly, the sun had risen such that the rays promoted the dusty haze. While we could see the views, the reason for the venture - to try and capture the views on our camera - was lost.



At the lookout there was a church. What 'got' us was that this was a Sunday and it was closed. Being a Catholic nation, we couldn't explain the fact. That said, the church front was heavily decorated in carved stone. Most everywhere we'd looked, the facade of major buildings were decorated with the carved stone. While this example was of a relatively 'soft' sillar, some buildings had carvings in granite (a much harder medium).



Instead of the circuitous route we'd taken to the park, we returned directly downhill to the river and meandered our way to the Monastory. The Monastory has a long history and in recent decades due to a decline in novitiates entering has had to open much of the structure to tourists to help pay for maintenance. We found the buildings at once attractive, historical and confronting. The past pursuits of Christian religiosity were certainly far more challenging than anything entertained today. Perhaps the most confronting is that Christian religion is so very patriarchal. And, this monastory demonstrated the lengths that the nuns had to go and pains endure) to gain spiritual 'acceptance'.



As we had booked a but for tomorrow to take us to Puno, we strolled to the local supermarket to get bottled water and repellent to address the biting flies. We returned to our accommodation to catch up with the world via the internet before heading out for more of the great beer and another 'fusion' meal of local foods.

Monday 10th October; To Puno...

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We'd booked a bus to take us to Puno, some 300km away. Puno sits on Lago Titicaca and this had long been a bucket list curiosity. Surprising us, the bus was a double decker and quite modern. The bus company operates the service much like an airline so unlike the 'system' in SE Asia and we felt comfort with the apparent organisation.



Our departure from Arequipa revealed a quite different perspective than that we'd experienced. The taxi trip to the bus station went through an impressive middle class area and the bus departed via a large industrial area. Indicating we ought research the topic, we learned that the city generates quite a large revenue for Peru. It is also a base for several mines in the region.



The bus departed via the 'ring' road and the traffic and state of the road made for an arduous journey. We were glad we weren't driving. At the outskirts, we noted the development of shanty dwellings and wondered whether the message we'd received was a past endeavour or not quite right. We also noted those small 'acreage' properties we'd seen from the air - they were smallish (say 800 sq m) holdings with stone walls (ie. picked up from the land) with a squarish dwelling comprising one door and one window with corrugated iron closures. No electricity or water!! Grim is an understatement.



When we'd arrived at Arequipa, we'd wanted to visit Salinas-Aguada National Park some 50km away. We were told no tourists are interested and to visit we'd have to hire a taxi. The cost was prohibitive. So, we were delighted that the bus route to Puno went through quite a large part of the park. Though the National Park is termed a 'Pampas', it does not comprise what we know as pampas grass. The terrain is rolling hills around the volcano's, and by the lack of vegetation clearly a dryland zone. Even so, the area has many Vicuna, Llama and Alpaca. To see them in their 'natural' environment was a highlight.



Having experienced consecutive sunny days, the weather report was for showers in Puno. As the bus headed across the Andes high plain, storm clouds began to fill the sky. At about 1pm, the 'darkness' was akin to a dark cloudy dusk. Though the lightning and storm seemed ferocious, very little rain occurred. We felt as if we were completely enveloped in a very low thunderstorm. While the storm passed (or we passed through the storm), the remainder of the day remained dark and broody.



About a third the way, a large lake appeared as we crested a hill; Laguna Lagunillas. The bus stopped for piccies and the toilet. The gatekeeper of the toilet was handing out a single sheet of toilet paper and charging 1 Soles (about A$0.30) for the 'service'. Few took up his 'offer'. The site where the bus stopped is some 4300 m above sea level. Given all the warnings we'd encountered before we left about altitude 'issues', we were quietly happy that we were able to wander around without much effort. The bus continued and soon we were entering Juliaca. From the bus window, what we saw was a pigsty. Dirt streets, much rubbish, piles of gravel or sand or discarded building materials in the streets. Little or no paint on facades and traffic going at a pace that more represented a race from the impending Armageddon. Ironically, for all the haste, jostling, cutting in, etc., the drivers weren't going far. We had been contemplating using Juliaca as a base - we were glad we didn't.



A little out of Juliaca, the bus broke down. fortunately, within 5 minutes another bus (coming from Cusco) stopped and after a bit we all squeezed into that bus for the 40 minute drive into Puno. The 'weather' hadn't let up and so didn't help the view of roadside houses (shambles?) as we entered Puno. The bus station is at the lakes' edge and so the bus drove the length of the city (town?). Given the 3rd worldy presentation we'd encountered along the way, we were wondering what lay ahead of us.



A taxi to our hotel added further to our angst. But, once inside the room allocated we were more than happy. "A great choice" judged Judy. From the internet when in Oz the pictures provided can be deceptive, so one can only hope. Getting ourselves warm (it was 3 degrees outside) was our first task. We thought our bodily 'reactions' may be because of the long drive on the bus and the cold. We ventured back out into the cold for pleasant dinner before returning to the accommodation. Given our huffing and puffing, we knew the 3800 metre height was challenging us. And, we assumed, the 'wobbly' and 'tingly' must be part of that.

Monday 10th October; Puno...

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We were quietly relieved after we awoke and the 'wobbly' and 'tingly' had disappeared. The previous evening we'd booked a 4 hour 'cruise' on Lago Titicaca to visit Uros Island which houses many families living on floating 'reed' islands. The weather prediction was for a cloudy morning followed by showers in the afternoon. Given this, we rugged up. Fortunately, the clouds eventually parted and we enjoyed the sunshine - Bruce even got sunburnt! Given the cold and the weather forecast, we'd overlooked applying sunscreen.



A mini van came and picked us up to take us to the 'port' (alongside the bus station. Once there, the very large police presence directed the van to go elsewhere. We later learned that the boat owners (fishers and tourist) were about to commence a protest march over the lack of proper mooring facilities and (to them) exorbitant mooring charges. The van driver took us to a resort that fronts the lake (some 5km further around) wherein we all trudged through the resort and boarded the boat. Near to the reed grass mooring lay an old iron steamer. The Yavari , we learned, had been built in England in the mid 19th century on behalf of the Peruvian government for work on Lake Titicaca, transported in pieces to Arica (Chile) wherein it was carted by mules up the 4000 metre Andean plateau to Puno where the assembly was undertaken. The steamer is now a museum.



The distance to the reed bed village is small, but the trip in the small boat through the reed channels was enjoyable in that the guide gave an enjoyable commentary - in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French. Once at the reed beds, it was clear that we were following a long tradition of tourism. We were instructed the reed dwellers originated from the highlands of Bolivia some 5000 years ago. They'd occupied the Alto Plano (high plain) between Puno and Cusco and were essentially pastoralists. Why they moved from the highlands of Bolivia to the Alto Plano (which includes much of Bolivia) is not apparent. Apparently, around the 12th century they fled the Inca 'expansion' by establishing their villages on the reed beds. They have stayed ever since.



We were advised each villager family assemble many layers of cut reeds on an area of reed bed to offer a semblance of stability for their dwellings. The reed beds are floating entities. After several years, the weight of the accumulated reeds tends to pressure the reed bed roots into the lake floor wherein they take hold. At that time, the beds cannot float and so become inundated by the summer flood rise. The village family is then obligated to develop a new 'home' base. Traditionally, the family has several thatched huts. Some are for sleeping, another for cooking, storage and ablutions. The cooking was done in a fireplace made out of large flat stones. Nowadays, cooking is by was of gas, and hut lighting by solar voltaic panels. Instead of canoes with paddle power, the villagers use tinnies and outboards. These modern conveniences were part of a 'sweetener' provided by the government in return for them maintaining their floating villages as a tourist attraction!



Our guide explained that unlike land-based households, if a neighbour became annoying, a family need only untie the ropes from the 6 posts (embedded in the lakebed) holding the 'island' in place, start the tinnie and shunt the 'island' elsewhere! To us, the idea holds much appeal.



On our return about 1pm, we wandered around the centre of Puno. At a square, we noticed street food vendors and tried our 'luck' with a Salteña a sort of baked Empanada a bit like an English pastie. It was yum, and far nicer than the factory made Empanada we'd so far experienced. We spent the afternoon further exploring before having a beer and dinner to cap off a wonderful day. We were quite fascinated with the variety of 'MotoKar'. These were smallish motor bikes with a 2 person 'dray' affixed to the rear. Some were quite basic, while others were fully enclosed and quite elaborate.



Tomorrow we take another bus trip, this time to Cusco.

Reflections...

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As per our last missive, we were unprepared for the unkempt appearance of Buenos Aires. Our entry into Lima suggested Peru would not be a step up. With this in mind, we were delighted to arrive in clean and orderly Arequipa. Though we'd intended to go into the desert, the 'attractiveness' of Arequipa enticed us to stay put for our time there. And, we weren't disappointed.



For us, Puno was a challenge. Not for the city, but the altitude. The city centre is typical 3rd world - a mix of crusty old and sloppily made new.



But, the urban fabric only tells one story. Another is that we found the people we encountered at both Arequipa and Puno to be really friendly and helpful. While this is the case most places we visit, there was a little something else in this region. Perhaps the best way of explaining is that elsewhere, when the friendly exchange is finished the engagement ends. In a funny sort of way, we were a little unprepared for the exchanges in this region because the locals would continue to engage once the primary matter had been resolved. Even when the exchange was in sign language, there was this continuation of 'being there'.



Scenically, from Arequipa to Puno, we hardly saw a tree or shrub outside the city centres. The rural was either dusty stony ground, or sparse grasslands. Once up on the Alto Plano from Arequipa, there were the occasional volcanic mountains, a few uplift ridges, but mainly undulating hills.

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