F: Arriving in Peru

At first, I was quite unsure if I would like Peru. I had read the travel advisories from the EDA and it seemed that you could expect to be robbed at least once.

But within a very short time, I felt very comfortable in Peru. First of all, the climate is wonderfully pleasant, a very welcome change from the sultry heat of the Caribbean that makes you feel so sluggish. And it was also really relaxing to not be asked every 12 seconds in the city if I needed a taxi, a horseback ride, cigars, or anything else. The first visit to a big store in Lima was mind-blowing. Suddenly so many products! Countless types of fruits and vegetables, many different brands for each product. Shampoo, Tupperware, writing paper, proper bread, matches, chocolate, batteries, milk - just everything! Everything is there!

In Arequipa, the feeling of well-being continued. The city has charm unlike Lima, sunny weather (in Lima it's always overcast), and a lively market and shopping scene. There's also already a lot more tradition and culture. I think you can see the demanding mountain life in the culture and mentality. For example, the importance of community and sharing is very high, and nature is religiously and spiritually revered. That's why everything sometimes reminds me a bit of Nepal, it was the same there. Maybe it's also because of these colored fabrics (which I can hardly get enough of), as the Sherpas in the Himalayas also wear colored striped woven cloths.

And when we then hiked through the Colca Canyon for three days, my sense of well-being reached its peak. The nature is so beautiful, these rugged, steep walls of the canyon, made of yellowish to reddish rock, the resilient shrubs and cacti in the dry, sandy soil, and the defiant little villages with the terraced fields, simply beautiful. I had always suspected it, but it has been confirmed once again; there is nowhere I feel more comfortable than in mountainous nature! :-D