Peru (5): AREQUIPA

14.01.

11. Day

Arequipa is supposed to be just a stopover on the way to Lake Titicaca, but the city surprises me once again. The bus station is even bigger than in Lima, with all sorts of bus providers in one place. However, checking out or picking up my backpack takes a while because it's like being in a market. A lot of shouting until I finally get my backpack. Then I take the best taxi fly that comes to the tourist shit and drive to the Wild Rover Hostel. I'm obviously way too early, still have 4 hours until I can check in. So I leave my stuff there and start walking around the city. Today most of the shops are closed, it's Thursday, but since I walk in the wrong direction when I want to go to the main square Plaza de Armas, I unintentionally end up in some cute areas with small streets.

Then the Mundo Alpaca appears next to me, there is a tour bus in front of it, so I decide to see what's so great about it. It's a kind of exhibition where you can see how fabrics are made from Alpaca, Lama, or Vicuna wool. There are also some real little camels. Very informative and beautiful overall.

Then I continue walking towards Plaza de Armas - this time for real - and pass by the Monastery of Santa Catalina... I've heard of it before. I decide to go in. It's like a small city within the city.

An old nunnery from the 1500s. Very fascinating how the nuns lived here secluded from the outside world in their cells, kitchens, and the church. A revolving window as a contact with the outside world.

I'm starting to realize that I underestimate the sun here, I'm already at an altitude of almost 2.5 km and I can feel it a bit in my head. It's just a short stop for me at the Plaza de Armas, as I want to get out of the sun. Luckily, on the way back to the hostel, I find the exact cable for the camera that I was desperately looking for in Ica.

Now I can check in at the hostel. I'm in a 6-bed dorm.

Someone is always sleeping, so you have to be very quiet all the time. But that's okay. I chat a bit with Sebastian, my Argentine roommate, and then sit at a table by the pool and book my bus for tomorrow night. I will arrive in Puno at around 5 in the morning or so... let's see how it goes from there, I have no idea. But now I'm going out again. I'm hungry. For potatoes. South Americans love potatoes. They've loved them for longer than we have. So I go to a potato restaurant where you get 7 different types of potatoes on a plate and can mix your own sauce. Once again, very delicious. They know how to make sauces here. Boom.

A little Coca Tea on the side for the high altitude feeling, and off I go through a few artisan tourist souvenir shops until I get tired and shuffle back to the hostel.

In the evening the bar at the hostel is busy. Live music and open mic, typical Irish pub actually, but a lot of fun and we dance and sing with Sebastian and the other hostel people.

Actually, I wanted to take it easy today. Worked out great...

15.01.

12. Day

Sleep until 10, do a bit of work in the office, pack my things to check out. But since my bus doesn't leave until the evening, I put my things in the luggage room and go on my way to spy out an empanada. It starts raining. Great. But it's not too cold, so it's okay. I buy some pants somewhere in a passage where one bargain stand is next to the other.
And then comes the most important thing. I've already met some people here with musical instruments and I'm kicking myself for not bringing my ukulele. So I decided to buy one. I find a music instrument store, a small shop, more like a half room, and ask for the cheapest ukulele. I fall in love with the second cheapest one, but I'm 1.20 EUR short to buy it. So I say I'll be right back since I have to go to the hostel first to get some cash. There's another music store across the street. As in so many Latin American countries, there are dozens of stores next to each other on a street, all offering the same thing. In one street, there are all shops with musical instruments, in the next, all lamp shops, in the next, all electronics stores, etc... I still don't understand the concept. In this other store, the cheapest ukulele costs the same, but it's not as cool. But they have a blues harp for 9 EUR. Mine.
Back to the hostel. There I meet up with Emanuel, the singer from the bar yesterday, and we go together to the "tienda de la musica" to buy the ukulele. Yay, I'm whole again. Happy.

Emanuel takes me to a Chocolateria, quite nice on a rooftop terrace in the backyard, where we drink hot cocoa against the rain and now a bit of cold.

A kind of cocoa where the spoon stands in it. We try out the ukulele and annoy everyone else by playing a few songs. Emanuel also plays the ukulele, even better than me... but well, who doesn't...

Then we go back to the hostel, where we continue chatting at the bar and eating salad, until I take a taxi to the bus station again.

In the bus, the steward walks around with a camcorder, filming each and every one of us and counting out loud. I'm not exactly sure why. But no one complains. In Germany, every other person would be outraged... So. Sleeping. It's going to be another short night.

...continue reading in Peru (6): LAKE TITICACA