The White City

Today I'm writing to you from Arequipa, Peru...a.k.a. The White City. Arequipa is approximately ten hours southwest of Cuzco, by bus and around two hours from the Pacific Ocean. It's the second largest city in Peru and....sorry, I was distracted by a woman on another rooftop doing some sort of weird stretching dance. I think she may have to use the restroom....

Where was I? Oh yes, Arequipa. This is my second visit to the White City. My first visit was with Shahana, and I loved it so much, I talked my new roommate, Trever into coming down with me for a couple days. But, lets be honest, I really came back for the food!

Trever and I had an interesting bus ride from Cuzco the night before last. At 2am, our bus broke down in the middle of nowhere, Peru. Our drivers didn't say a word for the first three hours, and eventually, three quarters of the bus (about all the Peruvians) disembarked from the vehicle and disappeared into the night. We were then told that there was a problem with the airbag system, and that was about it. Once the sun came up, we started moving again and stopped in the next small town for some food and water. We then had another seven hour bus ride without another stop to make it to Arequipa. All-in-all, our ten our trip turned into an eighteen hour trip and needless to say, I started out my trip a little frustrated.

After some negotiations with the counter clerk, we set out for the Plaza de Armas in the city center, in search of food, hydration, and a place to drop our packs. We found a nice little dormitory style hostel for twenty soles (approximately six USD) and headed off for one of Shahana and I's favorite restaurants, La Nueva Palomino. I was looking forward to this meal so much that, regardless of the dehydration, my mouth was literally watering. My heart sank when we pulled up front and the doors were locked down tight. Our driver, Raul, offered up another option so we headed that way, only to find more problems at the front gate. Finally, we settled on coming back to city center and finding the nearest place that offered anything even remotely resembling food.

After a cheese pizza dinner with Che, we headed out to explore the city center and find some queso helado. This stuff is some of the most amazing ice cream I have ever tasted. Think, horchata flavored ice cream. For those that are unfamiliar with the Mexican drink, horchata, think cinnamon flavored rice milk (I think that's what it is anyway). Anyhow, if you see it in the ice cream section, get it. You probably won't regret the decision.

We finished off our evening with a couple horrible happy hour drinks (my chilcano was one of the worst things I've ever tasted) and some pool at an empty night club. The club scene doesn't really start until around midnight, and finishes up around five am.

Today, I am hoping to visit a few sights, eat some great food (assuming they are open), and then hop back on a bus for another (hopefully) ten hour bus ride back to Cuzco where we'll meet some new Colorado friends for a drink and fun times.

Sorry for the short update, but the day is short and there is a lot to see. Besides, Trever is hovering like he is ready to get moving. Thanks for reading and I'll write back soon.

Shannon