And onto Arequipa.

We managed to arrange to meet up with Lucy and her boyfriend Joe in Lima which was quite cool. Didn´t know how I´d feel after not seeing Lucy for over 3 years, we only met in China for a couple of days where a crowd of us hung out and generally had a great time, so I thought it may be a bit...strange...

Turns out I was wrong, she´s a cool girl and it looks like she´s picked a good bloke in Joe. They´ve had a great time travelling around the world together. We met up in Barranco and had lunch at a recommended local Cervicha place. It´s Pery´s version of suchi I guess? Raw squid ´cooked´in lemon juice with red onion to start - delicious! Off we went after that for a bit of shopping and a general wander around Lima with them before saying our goodbyes and going to get ready. Our overnight bus left at 8pm do we still had LOTS to do!

As we both knew this trip had to have compromises in order to make the whole thing safe and comfortable for Bodhi. Whereas in the past we would rock up to any city, bags on our back, trawl through a dew hostels until one caught our attention. Nowadays we had to look up on the web, phone, e-mail, ask about facilities check double check and then turn up. The same went for travelling. Sharing local buses with the peruvians and their chickens was out, booking 1st class with complimentory drink was in - viva la tourista!!

Saying that, it was still hard work. Planning the feeds, packing the bags, timing the bus...it´s exhausting! We were OK though, we´d arranged our hostel well in advance asked all the right questions, booked a taxi to pick us up at Arequipa bus station, everything was sorted...or was it?

No.

After the tortuous journey (trying to sleep with a small child in your arms - not actually possibly I´ve found) we arrived in Arequipa and....no taxi! bugger....right, go and sort that one out.
Sorted, now...get to the hostel. Open hostel door. Greeted by friendly woman. Informed no double room as booked, however she had a hovel for us....urgh!
FRANTIC run around Arequipa, in the heat, after that journey, knowing I needed to sort this quick so looking for a new place. Finally found a lovely place called ´La Posada del Virrey´and had a lovely courtyard for us to chill out in...not after throwing bags into a corner and having a hissy fit...emotions....little bastards.

OK, chilled a while then decided it was time to eat. We´d sorted Bo, after finding out there was no microwave in the hostel...milton and boiling water in pans it is then....bugger, nothings easy is it? We heading around the corner to a local place suggested by Maria, the hostel owner. I´m not sure if it was the fact we´d sorted it all out and had relaxed but we just didn´t notice. We ordered the local meñu and sat waiting. And noticing. The flies. The food on the sides. The fridge, turned off. The frst course, sopa, came - dishwater with a bone in it. "No señora, no para mi, soy vegetariano" Phew escaped that, unlucky claire ;0) She fished about with it for a few minutes then the segunda came....it was supposed to be fish and I suppose it was once upon a time but right now...it looked like road kill...now how do you suppose a fish got on the road to become road kill? The Chicha being served in empty jam jars was only a pre-cursor to what came next....sharing the dining table with el cock-o-roacha!! LA QUENTA!! I don´t think we ran...but we may have?

Afetr that we decided to head into the Playa del armas, which seems to be the centre of all Peruvian towns, a town square I guess? This one has a lovely white Cathedral surounded by shops and restaurants all set around a park. It was quite idylic so we found a cafe on one of the balconies, had drinks, Bo puked, we went back the hostel, perfect end to the day! lmao!

The next day was a really good day, chilled and contrasted in everyway to the day before. It started well with a good solid breakfast on another of the balcony cafés overlooking the square. We had a rough plan to the day, change some money, buy a few bits from the supermercado, book our next hostel and the bus and taxi for tomorrow. If time allowed go visit the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, a nunnery set up in the 18th century for rich spaniards to send their second born daughters to, It had remained closed to the outside world up until 1970´s nd now it´s open to tourists...not sure which was better?

We got most of our jobs done, things booked and stuff bought and decided to try another balcony restaurant for lunch. This time however the peace and tranquility was abruptly smashed by the sounds of voices on loudspeakersm horns, drums and shouts from what was a substantial crowd...we were witnessing a people´s protest!! Hundreds, if not thousands, of farmers from all around the Arequipa were narching up and down the streets with their protests at losing their jobs recently (I think down to a government change or policy?) Well, I jumped into Jimmy Olsen mode....snap snap snap!! I felt like I was a bloody corrsespondant for the guardian or something snapping away trying to capture the moment - it was great!

Once the excitement had subsided, we wound our way through the cobbled streets and courtyards of Santa Catalina. Completely chilled out and soaking up the sun and calming atmosphere surrounding us. It was a great day all round. All that remained now was to head back, pack up and have beer in the courtyard until the taxi arrived the following morning. Which we duly did with full gusto - nowt beats a beer in the dusk of an exotic far flung country.