On our way to Arequipa we took a brief stop in Nazca where we walked up a huge tower to see two of the Nazca lines. It is common to stay a night here and go in a small plane to get the best view but Kate hates small planes so we decided to skip. I found this stop quite irritating as our guide really didn’t give us any information regarding the lines’ history so I am going to have to go away and research. I find them so fascinating and have no idea why the Incas made them. One hypothesis I have is that they were a practice of mysticism and involved in a prehistoric ritual/ sacrifice of some sort. I reckon this would be a fascinating area of research. When we met William again (sorry this is a bit in the future) he told us everyone in his plane got motion sickness so thank god Kate didn’t go on one… “Thank God”, ive found myself saying this a lot, I suppose it is quite British but here I am getting quite a bad reception from the Peruvians so perhaps I should stop, maybe they think I’m being blasphemous I’m unsure. So Nazca was a quick stop and then we were also forced into paying 20 sols for a meal. This has been the one downfall of Peru Hop, yes it is safe but jeez is it a tourist trap. Although, I did gobble up my lomo saltado to which I’ve only found out is actually alpaca meat! [INPUT FROM 10.02 THIS IS NOT TRUE LOMO IS BEEF WE WERE GULLIBLE]

Finally, we arrived in Arequipa after the long journey. The bus journey was absolutely fine and were blessed with beautiful scenery. We were staying in the Arequipay downtown backpackers hostel (I think?) I loved this hostel as it had a beautiful outside area, really sociable and felt really homely. I think I was just really ready for some relaxation and downtime, it has been pretty hectic and go go go. We ended up arriving about 5:30am and thank God (oops) our beds were ready for us. Unfortunately felicias bed was not so she had to roam the city a bit. Initially I felt bad but my sleep was so nice that I didn’t mind in the end. It was also really nice as we saw many familiar faces in the hostel…

Our first day was very chill, we ended up having breakfast with this English guy from Swindon and this German couple. I believe the Three of them had been travelling together for a couple of weeks, it seems the English guy tagged along with them. I’ve got to say a highlight of my trip so far has just been mere observation. For example, it was obvious the couple or siblings (they looked like each other) were getting irritated by him but he definitely didn’t realise. Let’s call the guy Alex, he seemed very happy to speak to some English people but again it was the same old conversation… “do you guys speak Spanish” “not not really” “fucking lazy British”… and yes this is true but it’s the only small talk British people have even between themselves…

So Arequipa is quite a long trip so I’m not going to be as detailed as I have been in previous blogs, instead I’ll write some highlights. One of them was on the first day (also our last day with Felicia- sad), we had a menu del dia for 5 sol! Which is crazy cheap. Then in the evening we said our final farewells to Felicia over a beer and some crisps. Maybe one day I’ll hit her up when I’m trying the states! This evening was bitter sweet, bitter to say goodbye to our first travelling friend but sweet because she was off to see her mum in Cusco who she hadn’t seen for 9months, so I was excited for her. This night we also met a 70yr old man from Reading, initially I was confused by him as I observed him wandering around the hostel and eating his tuna pasta for lunch but turns out you should never judge a book by its cover. Although we never got his name we spoke to him for a good 3 hours! He was inspiring. A 70yr old man from Reading who had a passion for adventure but like others was on a budget! I knew he was from England because during lunch he sniggered at a comment I made. Kate and I were talking about hiking and one of the couple (or siblings) asked if I was good. I replied by saying I had done my bronze DOFE… obviously this didn’t get the reception it deserved but from the corner of my eye I saw him chuckling. Honestly he was so inspiring and our conversations varied from hiking to him talking about volunteering at Glastonbury.

The following day started slowly but this was nice and well deserved. Kate and I found the sweetest little patisserie and I sat in the courtyard drinking a coke. After this we went and explored some little markets, I ended up buying my first things which of course were jewellery (shock) and Kate bought a lovely pashmina. Thanks mum for buying me one for Christmas!! I bought a pair of sterling silver hoops with a cool snake pattern on them and an amazing swirly silver plated ring. Stupidly, I saw the earrings I bought in the store I got the ring and asked how much they were… 10sols cheaper to begin with and that was without haggling… but I suppose I am a tourist and at points I will fall into tourist traps. Then we went on the walking tour, which was great again. Honestly, I love a free walking tour! We got to see loads of areas we would never have found and got snacks and drinks along the way. It was also a chance to learn about the beautiful colonial buildings and the history behind Arequipa. We then finished our day by going to a vegetarian restaurant and getting the 10 sol menu del dia!

Now our final day in Arequipa before our first hike was more of a physical and mental prep day. We started our day like most with a coffee and then we ventured our way to llama farm which kate was desperate to go to. Kate loves animals so it was like bringing a kid to a toy shop and letting them run loose. Perhaps I wasn’t as interested as I have already been to a llama farm back in Sussex with my boyfriend but Sussex vs. Peru is not really a fair trial. Then we took the advice of our tour guide the previous day and we went to the local food market for some rocoto relleno. The market is called mercado san camilo and it’s so vibrant and colourful. You find anything from food stalls (poultry, meat, fresh food and veg) to home goods to pet shops. Upstairs was amazing and felt like you were sitting in someone’s house. The buzz and craziness was so encapsulating and really gave us a glimpse into Arequipa culture. One more sleep and ready for our first hike!