Arequipa and Titicaca

Greetings from sunny Arequipa! With exams behind me, I'm enjoying my last few weeks of vacation in Peru by traveling as much as I can. The first destination on my after-school solo journey was Arequipa, which is located on the southern coast of Peru. It's Peru's second-largest city, but it runs at a different pace than Lima. Most people who live here refer to themselves as arequipeños before peruvians, and it's easy to see why: the sky is clear, the air is clean, and they city has a colonial rather than industrial flare.


My first two days in Arequipa were unique becuase I was, for the first time, traveling completely solo. I spent hours walking around, talking to tour agencies, and testing out new coffee spots. I also visited a museum that showcases a naturally-mumified human body of a small girl (Juanita) that the Incas sacrificed on the top of a nearby volcano. She's, like, only 1,500 years old and her hair still looks good! Like, oh my god!

Arequipa offers a lot of outdoorsy activities, like hiking in the Cañon de Colca (2 times deeper than the Grand Canyon!), climbing El Misti volcano (5,820m), and rafting in the local river. I went rafting in the narrow Chili River, which weaves through volcanic rock with class II, III, and IV rapids. It was calmer than the other raft trip I did, but it was a great way to see the countryside. And, of course, I couldn't help engaging in a conversation about kayak gear with our guide. :)

While it was liberating to be independent, I was happy to make some travel companions within a couple of days. Several people in my youth hostel were headed the same way as me: Chris (from Canada), Will (from Ireland), Juan (from France), and Emma and Ben (from the UK). On Friday, all of us bussed south to Puno, which is the platform town for Lake Titicaca.

Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in Peru, and it is home to the floating islands that are famous worldwide. Chris, Will, Juan, and decided to take a two-day tour of the lake. (Ben and Emma stayed in Puno because they were sick). On the tour, we stopped at the floating islands, which are touristy but incredible. The islands are literally made out of reeds, and communities still live on them. After we took a quick ride in the traditional totora boats, we set off for the second island, named Amantani. We stayed the night in the house of a resident family and ate traditional regional food. There was a great thunderstorm at night, and we watched the lighting across the lake light the silouhette of the mountains in the background. The next day, we visited another island, and headed back to the town of Puno.


The next morning, our group parted ways. Will and Juan went to La Paz, while Chris, Emma, and Ben, went to Cuzco for Christmas. I took a bus back to Arequipa, and form here I'll make my way up the north coast to Trujillo. If all goes well, I'll be on the beach for Christmas!