Arequipa

April 20th: Arequipa

After spending some quality time in the hammock, I head downstairs to see if I can check in. After a bit of conversation with another staff member, the font desk person says I can take a bed in “x’ room. Okay, great! It’s RIGHT opposite the front door, lol. Gonna be a noisy one, but after the lack of sleep I got on the bus last night, I’m sure I won’t have a problem, lol.

It’s a room with only 3 beds, and there is only one other person in it. Thank goodness too, because I’ve only found 1 wall outlet, haha. The first thing I did when I got in was shower….it felt oh so nice and was much needed after the hot and sticky bus ride. This shower felt better than the post-hike shower, lol. It’s hard to believe, but it really did.

I was told by the front desk that I could also have breakfast this morning, which was excellent, because I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it the next two mornings. I decided to do the full day Colca Canyon Tour, which begins at 3am! Yikes! Haha. Guess I’ll be getting up at 2:30….uuggghhh. It’ll be worth it! Hehe.

I wish I had done some more research for Arequipa, because there are a couple of volcanoes you can hike, and I would’ve LOVED to do that, and add a few more volcanoes to my list. Oh well, I’ll save that for next time, hehe.

After breakfast, I walked towards the center to find my friend, Julia. We had booked a free walking tour, and she was having her own breakfast. The walking tour was quite good, our guide was very funny, and we learned a nice bit about the city. He seemed to take us to several “shopping” places, but his tour was still filled with some good history lessons.

Arequipa was built by the Spanish and earned the nickname, “The White City,” because of the color of the volcanic stones used for the buildings, but also because it was a hub for European immigrants at the time of contact. It’s a beautiful city and very different from Cusco. It became the perfect spot to rest while traveling to and from the ocean and the Andean mountains.

After our tour, Julia and I decided to try a recommendation for lunch: a local dish, “rocoto relleno,” or a stuffed pepper with meat and veggies, smothered in cheese. Ohhhhh yeah, lol. This particular restaurant offered a vegetarian option as well, so both Julia and I tried it. So delicious! I think that was my favorite meal so far. It’s up there with the salmon ceviche I had the first day, and of course, the guinea pig, because that was so fun and different. 😋

When I booked my Colca Canyon Tour with Peru Hop, they told me that because it was within 24 hours, I’d need to let them know in order to confirm my reservation. I sent a message via WhatsApp and didnt’ get a response for a while, but when I finally did, they told me I had to email them. Haha, okay. Not quite as simple as some of the other tours I booked the day before, but alright. I guess I better book the other tours I’d like to do in the next town.

When I go to do that, I realize that the tour ends 15 minutes before the bus pickup to then go on to the next place. Uh-oh. I don’t think that is going to work, hehe. So I half scramble, as I’m still fighting the drowsiness of the overnight bus and decide to add an extra day in Huacahina.

Meanwhile, Julia and I decided to go visit the museum where the infamous ice maiden, Juanita, sleeps eternally. If you don’t already know, Juanita is a young girl who was sacrificed by the Inca and left atop the Ampato volcano, and discovered in 1995. She was the first, but many other adolescents were discovered on that volcano and surrounding mountains. Not technically a mummy, she was killed and left in the freezing temperatures. It’s believed she was sacrificed to ask the gods to ask for favor with the crops as they were facing an El Niño season. It was quite amazing to see her and to see the condition the clothing that was found in other burial sites. It looks as though it could’ve been made yesterday, but that goes to show the power of cold preservation.

After our visit with Juanita, we head to a place our guide took us earlier and got some coffee and tea. We’re both drained, and I have an early wake-up for the tour tomorrow…but, I need to resolve my Huacachina plans before I stress out, haha. So with the energy of the coffee, I finish that and begin looking ahead to the next planned travel and wonder if I’ve missed anything else. But that will have to wait. One thing at a time, hehe.

Before heading back to our hostels, we run to the grocery store for some snacks and food. Apparently I’m not the only one who overspent in Cusco, hehe. I grabbed some peanut butter, which was kept in the dairy cooler, and some jam and bread. Time to make a good ‘ole PB&J! The tour tomorrow is somewhat pricey and doesn’t include the entry fee nor lunch. So, I plan to eat my sandwich apart from the group. We’ll see how that goes, lol.

Back at my hostel, I go up to the breakfast/bar area to catch the sunset. The clouds blocked most of the sun, and it wasn’t quite the picturesque view I had hoped, but the volcanoes were still there, looking mighty and threatening and I loved it!

Time for bed!

Colca Canyon

Today was another long day tour….my earliest yet with a pickup time of 3am!!! Ahahaha. Overall, it was a successful day, and we got to see many condors! It was surreal! We could see them from far away, and they just looked like any other bird, but as we got closer to them, and at times, when they’d fly just overhead, you really got the impressive image of just how big they are. The best we saw was right as we were about to leave the spot, and they were swarming all around us overhead.

I learned that the condor can live up to 70 years and is a monogamous bird. They also glide through the air, utizling the air currents, as opposed to actually flying. Our guide told us how they are scavengers, and when food is scarce, they have been known to scare sheep passing by on a cliff, so much so, the sheep end up falling to their demise, where the condors begin a feast, hehe. So wild!

After the condors, we stopped by a small town, Maca, to try the “Colca Sour,” a slight variation on the traditional Pisco Sour. Rather than being made with lime, the Colca sour is made from cactus fruit! Obviously, I had to try one, haha. It was also my cheapest drink at only 8 soles! Done deal.

Next up, we stopped by some hot springs, literally for a hot minute, haha. Honestly, it was kind of weird this was part of the day tour, and we had to pay the entry fee. But, who’s gonna say no to sitting in a natural hot spring pool? Haha. There was a guy from my group who didn’t realize, and hadn’t brought a bathing suit, and just went in in his shorts! Lol. Gotta make do!

After the hot springs, we had a quick lunch, and began our arduous jounrey back to Arequipa. We did stop a handful of times to get photos of the volcanic chain that surrounds Arequipa, I honestly think the views from the city are better.

Overall, I’d call this tour a bust. I mean, the condors were spectacular, but I would’ve preferred to stay there longer and skip the hot springs. But hey, you win some, you lose some, lol.

On my way back to the hotel, I decided on a whim to enter one of the alpaca sweater shops, and there it was! The sweater I was destined to bring home! It was beautiful! I tried it on and knew this was the one! Hehe. I’m so glad I waited, and thank you, Tony, for buying it for me!

I come back to the hostel and find my dorm room empty, besides me! Wooohoo! Haha, thats so awesome! Someone could still come before I leave tomorrow morning, but maybe I’ll luck out with a single! Haha. Time to get settled and head up to the rooftop bar for a drink and a sunset. This hostel was okay, overall, but their biggest advantage is the killer view they have of the volcanoes, hehe. And that’s exactly the reason I chose them. Off to bed and up early for an all day bus to Huacachina!