The White City

Doorways.

A VW Beetle - quite common here.

I know I've talked about border crossings before as well as bus trips, but it is a quintessential part of travelling in South America. They go hand-in-hand, and sometimes you cross border multiple times in a day or night - like Europe of old before most of the border checks got taken down. Sometimes in Europe you still get checked, usually people shopping in Andorra and bringing back duty free cigarettes and booze, but if you have a van you get stopped all the time - borders and sometimes even as your driving into town with foreign plates. Spain is quite big for this - the police seem to always be on the lookout for people, and having a big white van was never an asset. One time I was driving into the town an Huesca in northern Spain, late at night, and the Policia Nacional pulling me over, shotgun leveled. Quick look in the van, and a question: "Senyor, what have you got in the back?" to which I always reply (at border checks or airports) "dirty laundry," which always stops them from caring. Anyway, I have gone slightly off track. No border checks this night, but I was on an overnight bus to the 2nd biggets city in Peru - Arequipa.

Snowy peaks.

Outdoor confessions.

The Cathedral of Arequipa.

Getting out of your bus at 7am is never pleasant after a bad night's sleep. Bus terminals are horrible in South America - always full of people, bad smells and people calling out for bus tickets or food, dogs roaming for scraps... interesting though, but not fun when you are alone with all your bags and you need the loo. Fishing around for that loose change without taking your backpacks off is great entertainment for the locals, but you don't want to leave your bags on the group unguarded, and end up taking them all in. Some baños here as well charge different prices - one for liquids and more for a 'number 2.' Not sure why, but I think it's the extra paper you need - the woman tried to charge me more because I has carrying a 20kg bag on my back... very cheeky. I wasn't impressed with Arequipa at first, and sitting in the taxi to my hostel wasn't doing my hopes any good. Normally I don't do taxis, but I checked and it was way too far to walk loaded down like a mule in this heat, and the taxi cost less than $3 - hard to argue with. I somehow managed to get a private room and ensuite for the same price as a dorm (mix up in my favour?) for 20 sole a night ($8), and a 5 minute walk to the centre. I chilled out on the rooftop terrace for a bit, trying to wake up after my journey, as was amazed that I could see Mount Misti peeking through the clouds. This is lucky, as the postcards and Google images will make you think you can see it everyday from the main plaza - I only saw it once.

Plaza de Armas.

Beautiful archways of the main Plaza.

Doorways in here always lead to good things!

It was founded in 1540 by the Spaniards (yes, them again!) and originally called "Villa Hermosa de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion" or The Beautiful House of Our Lady Santa Maria. Mouthful! I don't know when they changed the name, but I'm glad they did - the modern name supposedly coming from the local language (Aymara) and means, "ARI" for "summit" and "QUIPA" for "laying behind" which would mean the volcano behind the city. The city was very important for it's economic prosperity as well as it's loyalty to the Spanish Crown, and is still a wonderful example of Spanish Colonial Architecture. Most of the buildings in the centre are built from white 'sillar,' a volcanic stone - churches, stairs, walkways and the city hall are all made of of this beautiful white stone, giving it the name "The White City." Straight streets run up and down the city in a grid pattern, and there are so many doorways leading into atrium and small courtyards that walking around the small historical centre can take days if explored properly. It was declared the capital of Peru in 1835 (and was until Lima took it's place in 1883) when the country gained it's independence, it became a UNESCO World Heritage site and today is full of tourists and locals shopping in it's streets, eating at it's great restaurants and also for trip to Colca Canyon.

SSSHHHHHH!!!

Red arches.

Blue arches.

One of the city's main sights is the Convent of Santa Catalina. Right in the heart of town, it was built in 1580 and designed as a 'city in a city.' High walls surround the goings-ons inside, and until it was opened to the public in 1940, nearly 400 years later, nobody knew what went on there. One of the biggest convents in the world, it houses 450 nuns at it's peak and was completely shut off from the world, keeping itself in mystery and silence - now it's the cities biggest attraction, and the price 40 soles ($16) doesn't stop them coming. I decided to visit either this or the museum where you can see "Juanita," a girl completely frozen during an Incan offering to the gods back in the mid-late 15th century. My budget was low and you can't see everything, so the Monastery it was, although I would have loved to have seen both. As you walk in, you immediately see the large painted letters spelling out "Silencio" and continue your walk in complete silence - it works! Then again, I did the walk alone, so I didn't really have much choice in the matter. Brightly coloured in red and blues, the buildings are beauitful - simple but beautiful. Arches walkways, wooden doors, small apartments for the nuns with communal kitchens and small single beds with crosses above them. There wasn't much information as usual, so my mind wandered and I started to picture what life would have been like here - the North part of the building is still a functioning nunnery, and you see nuns walking around the city too.

Whoah, that's DEEP!

The church on Plaza de Armas.

A kitchen in the Monastery.

Walking around the main Plaza de Armas, there are people calling out to you for tours and restaurants, most of which are for Colca Canyon (or Cerviche for food). I grabbed some info, and all these places offered tours with a guide. I decided to do it alone, and gob a mini-van from my hostel at 3am. They pick you up at this time and it's a 5 hour drive, and you want to reach a certain part by 9am - the place where the Condors come for breakfast. The Canyon is claimed to be the deepest in the world by the locals here, but the internet states differently, saying that it is the second deepest, but still twice that of The Grand Canyon in the USA. 160kms North West of Arequipa, it is 3,270m deep and receiving more than 120,000 visitors every year, it is Peru's 3rd biggest tourist destination. We stopped at the Cruz del Condrs (Condor's Cross) at around 8:30am and were told by the guide (the rest of the bus were doing the guided tour and I was just using the bus) that we had 30 minutes free time. I walked around, looked at the canyon, took some pictures and enjoyed the view, but wanted some condors. 8:55am, heading back to the van and out they came - nobody listened to the calls of the driver who was revving his engine and trying to get us back in. These huge beasts came circling around the heads of the people at the lookout, sometimes coming within metres of clipping people with their huge wings. Like clockwork these majestic birds turn up at the same time everyday as they get fed - something I don't have a problem with as the experience was awesome! After loads of pictures and shouts from the driver and guide, we piled back in and drove down the road 5 more kilometres for the start of the hike.

The area around Cola Canyon.

Cruz del Condor at 9am.

One of the many condors at Cruz del Condor.

Most people do this hike over 3 days and with a guide - I planned (and I use that word losely) for a 2 day hike and no guide. I was here to hike alone, enjoy the peace and quiet of nature and walking, not to listen to people talk all the time. I ran a little ahead of the bus group and set off, but stopped every 5 minutes to just stop, look and appreciate. It was also very hot! I looked across the canyon and could see the river below, the mountains towering above everything else, and the path that zig-zagges up and down the sides, knowing that I would have to face that very soon! I was 'guided' down by a lovely golden dog of some sort, who was happy to just walk alongside me, receive a few pats, and drink my water and eat my pasta lunch left-overs. The hike down was pretty hard going, but the view was spectacular. I walked 18kms for the day, and made it down to the bottom, crossed a bridge and part way back up before heading down to my hotel for the night at "the Oasis." The oasis is a small 'island' in the middle of the river between the steep walls of the canyon, and I think the perfect place to stay. I met a dog before heading down and he was happy to follow and guide me down, and even sat and had a rest while I drank an Inca Cola (my favourite soft drink of Peru!). My new dig for the night was pretty basic - stone cabin with a stone bed, and the matress wasn't much softer, but it had a great pool. The dog followed me down to the pool and chilled for a bit before wandering off to guide some other tourists around. Dinner was simple, but cheap, and I shared the meal with some other travellers, all the while listening and watching the biggest pop star in Peru on TV. Her name is Luz Yenny de los Andes, and not to knock local culture and music, but her songs are all the same, in sound and sight. She's a little Peruvian woman who dances and sings her way round Peru, and she loves what she does if the video clips are anything to go by.

Scary bird eyes.

A hummingbird on a cactus.

(one) of my 4-legged tour guides.

I started off early after sleeping like the dead, and I knew it was going to be hard getting back up that damn canyon. It took me around 3.5 hours of zig-zag paths, all up hill to reach the top, and I ran out of water an hour from the top - I gave a dog the last of it. He was clearly very much in need of it, and I felt I needed to give something back to the local community, especially since he was my dog from the first day - how or why he was now on the other side of the canyon was beyond me. He accepted gratefully, gave me a lick on my hand, and continued off to do his job and guide the two people he was leading down. I thankfully reached the top and found a farmer's irrigation ditch and washed my head and face, but not drinking it as much as I wanted to. I just had enough time to buy some water at a local store (and have a funny conversation with the ladies there about me having no water), grab an 'almuerzo' and jump on the bus back to Arequipa. Thouroughly enjoying my time in Peru, and one of my favourite's here in South America. Who can go past a city like Cusco, the ruins of Machu Picchu and the White City with it's canyon close by? My next bus would be a long one - all the way to Lima, the capital of Peru.

Arequipa, thank you for the wonderful time