No soy Peruano, sino Arequipeño

Cruz del Sur Bus Lines

We bussed from Lima to Arequipas overnight, opting for an Imperial Class ride. This spectacular service included 3 movies (Lilo & Stitch 2, Agent Cody Banks 2, Secret Window), a terrible meal (rice, hunk of meat, pastry, mystery kebab), and BINGO! The BINGO winner took home a free return trip, a significant prize worth $40. To spice things up, the conductor would periodically offer people the numbers of their choice if they could answer quiz questions or tell jokes on the PA system. The whole thing reminded me of 8th grade Spanish class. At one point, I thought I had won, and stepped up to the front of the bus, only to be told that I had to black out all the numbers, not just form a line. Only mildly humiliating.

Arequipas

A relatively wealthy town, Arequipeños take pride in their colonial architecture, historic churches and monastery, cobblestone streets, gorgeous volcanic backdrop, and lively main plaza. As Peru´s conservative stronghold, locals apparently consider themselves above the rest of the country (which they are, altitude-wise).

I wish we could spend 2 weeks here, taking time to hike through the local canyons and climb El Misti, one of the 3 extinct volcanos towering over the city. Without a doubt, Arequipas is the nicest place we've seen in Peru. Tourists are commonplace, much more so than in Iquitos. While this spikes prices somewhat, it also means we're not stared at wherever we go. I sat in the main plaza for an hour yesterday, without a single tour operator approaching me (impossible in Iquitos).

Unfortuately, we only have 2 days here before we bus up to Cuzco to meet Diane and do the Inca Trail. I met a Brit this morning spending 3 months in Peru. While that seems like a bit much, a month would be very doable, particularly if you wanted to trek in the Andes.

Eating Out

Jen and I have gotten the hang of finding cheaper, better food. Just head a few blocks away from the tourist district to find lots of great affordable restaurants. Contrary to my Lima pizza experience, we regularly eat our fill for $5 each. Set lunch menus with two courses commonly start at $1.25. For dinner tonight, I plan on hitting Arequipas´roast chicken district, a block with 10 or so
pollerías, each with a window of golden chickens rotating over hot coals. We'll probably also pick up some empanadas - meat filled pastries - great snacks to go. While meat definitely dominates the culinary landscape, fresh fruit shakes, bakeries, and yogurt bars are also everywhere. Unlike Europe, however, the café scene is pretty slim. I´d like a couple of open air spots to have a cup and watch people go by.

Local Connection

After the Iquitos experience, I'm realizing that intense interpersonal contact with locals is going to be a little tougher to come by. Big cities don´t really lend themselves to that kind of traveling. We'll see...

See you in Cuzco.