Hostal Arequipa Suites Plaza

... get to it today.<br><br>We decided to give ourselves a ´rest day´ in Cusco the day after the trek which translated into a day for washing, errands and shopping. Although we did manage to squeeze in a lovely massage as well and thanks to the stairs the pain in my calves was excruciating... A fair few from our Inca group hadn´t left town yet so we went to a delightful little tapas restaurant for dinner that night. Relative to how I´ve been eating, it ...

... while awake, something which I hadn´t experienced since hell week in college and which proved no more fun this time around. And to add insult to injury, Jessy did not receive a single bite. I have no idea how this is possible since we shared a bed every night; maybe I just taste better. <br><br>After Arequipa our time in Peru was over. We enjoyed our time there, despite my battle with the critters. Now it´s back to Bolivia to see Tus and all my other animal friends.

... to slip and fall with my knee twisted under me which adds to the fun for the next 2 days (well at least I didnt have to run the city to surf eh dad?) <br>We passed through villages where they farm the steep hillsides in row upon row of terraces with a comprehensive irrigation system and stay overnight at the "oasis" - a lush green patch at the bottom of the canyon complete with swimming pools and palm trees. The second day is a hard 2 ...

... where a family of Andean Condors have set up shop, and regularly perform aerodynamic acrobatics for the tourists at about 8 in the morning when the thermals are at their best. Knowing my luck, the only birds I´ll get to see are the friggin pigeons hovering around the cathedral. Here´s hoping. There´s also some great trekking on offer in Colca, and there´s a few thermal springs where we can soak our weary bones too. Should be good. Back to Arequippa on ...

... the dusty town of Chivay at the entrance to the Colca Canyon. We went to a local Peña (folkloric show) for an evening of dinner and local music and dance which was interesting, especially when the male dancer writhes on the floor and the female whips him! Ang was loving this until the roles were reversed and the female got herself whipped and then dragged to her feet with a rope and thrown over the man's shoulders and marched out ...

Onto another night bus and then to Arequipa which had proved to be very receptive to Hosteltrail.com, with us booked in to write profiles for three very nice places in one city; a record for us. After the last few weeks of legging it around the Andes and the jungle with Mum and John we had a few days taking it easy and enjoying being ...

... spot for a nap. I liked it though. After our luch of Chifa which was not exactly what I was expecting, but pretty good we headed off to the central plaza and then to the plaza where the statue is evdidence of one word meaning two things. Apparently, the word flame in Spanish also means llama. The statue of the lady was suppose to have a flame around her head. But without any clarification the statue maker put a little llama on her head. It was the ...

... and have a gander at the place.<br>The city of Arequipa is busy, but also very pretty with a mixture of Peruvian and Spanish architecture. Many of the buildings are fashioned from a volcanic type of stone known as sillar taken from the foundations of El Misti a colossal volcanic mountain (thankfully inactive these days) that towers over the city like a gigantic stone sentinel. We wanted to buy a couple of decent smaller backpacks for when we might decide to go on treks and ...

... cloisters, choir room, etc. It was like being transported back in time. The hallways feature thick arches, and the walls are either white, deep red, or blue. The white walls would have planters hanged on it, with red blooms. With the bright colors and the Spanish structure of the monastery, I wanted to take a picture of every corner, every plant, every arch, and every room. Don´t worry, I didn´t =). By the time we got out of the monastery, it was ...

... town, even the smallest villages.<br><br>After meeting Ron &amp; Ellen for drinks on another terrace, I went walkabout while the other went shopping or back to the hotel for a nap (to make up for the bus trip). The museum housing Juanita, the frozen mummy found on top of the Ampato volcano, by accident, when an adjacent volcano erupted and melted the snow cover on the summit where she was found. An Incan girl of about 15 sacrificed to appease the gods following an eruption; she ...