Hostal el Tumi de Oro Arequipa

... what´s actually in the food that we order (I unknowingly ordered hedgehog/sea urchin for lunch...Imodium´s a life saver) and I´m booked on a trek up the local volcano (El Misti). It´s 6000m high and still active, so if the altitude doesn´t ruin me, fingers crossed for an eruption...<br><br>P.S. Colombia vs. Chile World Cup Qualifier was awesome, apart from the 4-2 loss, let me (or Dan Parsons) know if you need any Spanish insults!

... is one of the few 6,000m plus mountains in the world that can be attempted by inexperienced climbers. <br><br>Climbing at altitude however, as one of our party found out, is not something which should be taken lightly especially for those who have not fully acclimatised. Likewise, the need for a sensible guide who knows what he's doing is also "a must". Sadly, despite our best endeavours, we ended up hiring a complete "tosser" (sorry Mum and Dad but this is how I feel).<br><br>Two days ...

... the outskirts of Arequipa. Basically what happened was back 20 years ago or so there was great civil unrest in Peru and many people from the countryside and smaller cities were displaced. They came to the larger cities, like Arequipa, in search of safety and work. These cities were not big enough for all of these people so they began expanding outward. The government created planned communities. It would hold lotteries for the land and whoever won the lottery ...

... is at the foot of the El Misti Volcano which dominates the surrounding landscape. Locals told us that global warming meant the snow cap on El Misti disappeared around 5 years ago.<br><br>Arequipa is a hot spot on the gringo trail, and was definitely more touristy than any other city we had visited in South America so far, but despite the large number of adventure/trekking agencies, bars, restaurants and clubs aimed squarely at the tourist market, we enjoyed the vibe ...

... of the bus. I fully expected to see her in pieces but even more incredibly she carried on talking about the restaurant! We all shouted nevermind that, are you ok?! Her back had luckily hit the rear view mirror and not the glass and that had shattered the windscreen. Getting out of the van it became clear what happened. The tiny narrow streets are on a grid and are so narrow that it is impossible to see down the road until you are actually at the junction, but instead of ...

... creamy concoction of spices, and served with thinly-sliced potatoes twice-baked. It was delicious, though a bit too spicy for me so I only had a taste of it. Arequipaños are known for spicy food and Maridol loves it ! The ceviche ... ahh ... what can I say. Mixed raw fish, octopus, scallops, sea cucumber, shrimp, slow cooked in lime juice, served with baked camote (sweet potato) on the side. For all of these, we paid ...

... Been out for Mexican food more times than i care to remember, there are some cool people in the hostel atm so we frequent a couple of eaterys everyday. Went go-karting the other night, its so cheap here and they lack the health and safety stuff the UK has which makes it so much more fun. Also there is a very cheap bar there and they encourage you to drink and drive, its a hoot and a half.<br><br>The hostel is cleaned in the morning so i just have to make sure it stays tidy ...

... that you already knew. Then he said that it must be irritating to keep repeating the same story over and over to different people you would meet on the road. I then told that I have found that never to be the case and that one normally talks about different things to different people. He then kept on saying on how it must be sad to travel to travel alone and to have a beer by oneself. I just laughed at this guy who clearly did not know what he was talking ...