Arequipa

I went by bus from Cuzco to Arequipa, ca. 500 km and ca. 12 hours. I wanted to see the landscape, so I wanted to go by daylight. I chose a comfortable bus of Ormeños, one of the best buscompanies of Peru. I did not go too basic so I also took the VIP compartment. Perfect seats and a very carefully driving driver. Roads are in a good shape in Peru, sometimes, at once, changing into very bad (holes).

The landscape is beautiful. High vast planes (4300 m) with very high, snowcovered mountains. Sometimes a village or a small cemetery. At last we ourselves were riding through the snow, in the dark. It gave a sinister atmosphere.

It was a long day, all the more because they promised me an arival at 18:00 it appeared to be 21:15. I did not make a hotel reservation, so that was a little bit tight. At last I found a very basic bed, veeeery cheap, which I changed the next day for some more comfort (a private bathroom is not too much, I think).

Arequipa is a nice town (the 2nd biggest of Peru), with a beautiful Plaza de Armas, and many interesting places to visit. The town smells like hell to exhaust gasses (why do we discuss in Europe about soot-filters????). It has a lot of nice restaurants and cafes.

There are a lot of street people and crippless in Arequipa, not a very nice view.

About 7 out of 10 cars are small taxi's, very well organised.

North of Arequipa the snowcovered Misti (5825 m) and the Chachani (6075 m), both volcanoes, dominate the town. They look very attractive.

Yesterday I visited Juanita, a 12 year old girl. She was offered to the volcanoe Ampato by the Incas in order to save the world after an eruption. Juanita is beautiful but already 500 years dead. She was found after another eruption which melted the snow. She is conserved at -20◦C and scientists try to find out a lot about her and her people. She was chosen to be offered, and that was a real honour. After a pilgrimmage from Cusco to Arequipa (so 500 km on foot) and a climb to 6300 m, she was drugged and after that, brought to death by one blow on her temple. There are many more Juanitas, but she is the best conserved one.

I visited the monastery of Santa Catalina. A very special monastery, founded in 1580. It is a small village within the walls. All nuns had their own houses and servants (they came from rich families). It is an idylic set of houses and streets.

I have aranged my next tour. Tomorrow I will make a 3 day's hiking tour through the Colca Cañon, the deepest cañon of the world.

So today my lungs need some more smog so that I can stand the fresh air tomorrow.

The weather is still perfect, with lots of sun.