Arequipa

Our first few nights in Peru were spent in the highly photogenic colonial city of Arequipa, one of the major centres in the southern part of the country. We were quite surprised to find that Arequipa was by far the most attractive city we’ve come across so far in South America – but then again, the most attractive features of Chile were definitely natural wonders. We were lucky enough to check into a hotel right on the beautiful Plaza Armas, the focal point of the town centre. So each morning we could have coffee on a wide communal stone balcony at the front of the building, overlooking the Plaza, Cathedral, and the towering El Misti volcano in the distance.

We were very lazy for the our few days in Arequipa – but it was such a nice place to wander around, stopping every now and then for coffee you can hardly blame us! The old town centre seems to consist almost exclusively of white stone buildings, evidently built during the years of Spanish colonisation. The Plaza Armas was particularly nice with its stylish twin towered Cathedral on one side and elegantly arched buildings completing a perfect quadrangle. The Plaza really came alive in the evenings when the buildings were brightly lit and swarms of people came to wander around the central gardens and fountains. The only drawback to this was the pickpockets – we had no problems, but that was mainly because we were very aware of the numerous thieves eyeing up everyone’s bags and pockets. Arequipa may be a very pleasant city, but to enjoy it you do have to remain alert!

I know we’ve only been in Peru for a few days, but already we’ve noticed distinct differences with Chile. The atmosphere is more frantic somehow – reflected particularly by the traffic! Arequipa is besieged by thousands of tiny cars whizzing here there and everywhere, most of them mini yellow tin-can cabs! You really have to dash across the street if you want to cross, as the cabbies will accelerate towards you as fast as they possibly can – and they close even big gaps in traffic remarkably quickly. Perhaps they prize running over grannies, kids and (of course) tourists as a national sport! But the slightly frantic feeling isn’t restricted to when you try to dodge taxis (or avoid pick-pockets). Even the crowds of people in the streets seem more active here somehow, which is a pleasantly lively but less relaxing environment.

Anyway, our next stop is the smaller town of Puno, which is on the bank of the massive Lake Titicaca, near the border with Bolivia. We thought it would be fun to explore the lake and its numerous islands for a few days, and Puno breaks up the journey to Cusco nicely… from where we look forward to seeing lots of impressive Inca ruins!