El Cabildo Hotel Arequipa

... I was treated with much kindness and welcome. I enjoyed a delicious supper of left over Peruvian chinese food (made by my host). bread and tea de coca mate. Lucas is the friendly family dog - and peruano^ according to my family. He is strange and looks like a hairless chihuahua (photo to follow). I´m exhausted from my travels and need to make ready for classes tomorrow. Buenos Noches y Hasta la proxima vez!

... up and used for medicinal purposes but, if the snake is caught alive, a far preferable option, it is used to relieve back pain. The poor reptile is held at either end of its length and rubbed across the back as if you were drying yourself with a towel. Apparently, this makes all the pain go away. Quite what the snake feels about it is anyone’s guess but I bet it won’t risk climbing any trees in future.

At 5.30pm we reach The Oasis (at 2,200m) where we stay overnight. We ...

... Sounds like something that would happen in a club in Amsterdam, but here they were fully clothed and the lights were on the whole time! Promise.)

The journey out to the canyon invloved a few stops to view Inca terraces, old burial tombs in the mountainside and a couple of catholic churches. Eventually we arrived at the viewing point and had a spectacular view of the amazing (and HUGE) Andean Condor, spiralling up out of the ...

Back in Alto Cayma today and continuing to learn about what is being done up here through Serving Alto Cayma as well as through the Rotary Foundation. Technically, these two organizations serve as two different umbrellas for a variety of projects, but they are more or less serving the same purpose and have the same goals.

One of the largest programs in Alto Cayma is ...

... and watch goldfish swim about.
By this time, of course, I am feeling hungry. Fortunately, Arequipa has a grand selection of chocolate cakes at little shops on the main square, so I have a slice of one. It is delicious. However, the cigarette smoke from neighboring tables is less enticing. What is with Europeans? I can't wait to get away from their dirty habits. (and yes, that's incredibly stereotypical, but it's almost always Europeans. Peruvians don't smoke). Then ...

... room/bedroom and sometimes a small yard. The convent has also been ruined many times by the frequent earthquakes but the streets were always cleared and houses rebuilt. John Paul II beatified Sister Ana de Los Angeles here on his visit to Arequipa. I must say, it was a very worthwhile experience.
Our next stop was Arica and we took an early morning bus to ensure we would leave Peru sometime in the late afternoon. Tacna was the only place that stood between us and Chile.

... I found to be a small scorpion!!!! To say that I felt a little disconcerted was an understatement and the sunbathing was put on hold!

The evening saw an all-star Rest of the World team take on the rabble that turned out to be the Peruvian guides... they were awful! They were small, had few skills and none of them could save a shot. This all combined in a humiliating defeat for the locals which saw a nice cerveza for us all over dinner. It was lucky for the locals ...

... ourselves in the dilemma of whether we got out right in the middle of nowhere in the dark or do we cross our fingers and white knuckle it the half hour into town. We chose to keep him focussing on the road, getting him to drive really slowly, pointing out potential obstacles, and talking him out of stopping for beers en route. Not one to be repeated in a hurry, and we needed a stiff drink ourselves once we got out safe and sound! Phewff!!!!!!!!

... graceful. They soar instead of flapping their wings. We tried and tried to get photos but I think we only managed to get one or two.

In the evening we all went to dinner that had entertainment. A typical band for Peru. If you´ve ever heard those Peruvian bands that tour the US and play at outdoor festivals, you know the sound. Then there was a young couple who dressed in different native costumes and did their dances. That was enjoyable ...