Day 46 – 6th January. Arequipa.

The backdrop to the city is dominated by the 5,822m high Volcano Misti, and 6,075m high Mount Chachani.


Arequipa. Rest Day 0 kms.

Total Distance So Far: 11,625 kms

Our plan in Arequipa was just to acclimatize and get advice about the best route to cross the mountains. It is rainy season in Peru and Bolivia and many roads and tracks become impassable at this time of year. A sort of stop-over before heading over Peru’s High Andes to Cuzco. I have to say though I was very pleasantly surprised at what a lovely town centre this is, and could have spent a couple more days if we had time. The colonial Spanish architecture is stunning and full of character. Our hotel room had a view over the main plaza and a little balcony so it was very relaxing. Our advice was to drink copious amounts of Mate de Coca (Coca Tea) throughout the day to acclimatize quickly. The same advice was given by a pharmacist here as the best medicine to prevent adverse altitude effects.

We visited a large adventure travel agency to discuss our route north. They promptly pooh-poohed our initial choice due to the fact the area is full of bandits and has far too much snow, and advised us to stick to the route via Juliaca which was an extra 250kms! It was an easy choice - the remote possibility of meeting some local looking for a gringo with some loose change, or an extra 250kms. The other benefit of the route via Juliaca meant we would only go to 4,800 meters.

Armed with our tea and route knowledge we just meandered around the town – me trying to find a Mac charger to no avail – and Lidy looking for warm clothes. I have also tried to eat local throughout the trip so I tried Alpaca steak as well. I can not recommend it. It was like eating a piece of cardboard. Apparently they eat rats in Cuzco so the waiter said. An ancient Inca delicacy.

I wish we had a bit more time as we needed another day to visit the Colca Canyon. It's the world's highest with a drop of 3.4kms (twice the height of the Grand Canyon in Arizona) it was 250kms the wrong way, but I'd love to come back on another trip to see it.

We had a great meal, finalising the new route to Cuzco. It was going to be a long ride, over 600kms. We would climb to 4,800m in the first 100kms and then be at 3,800 to 4,600m for the next 400kms, dropping down to 3,400kms during the last 150 kms. It would take us through the Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca where rare wild vacunas are protected. In the centre of the park there is also the 5,670m Volcano Ubinas. The Lost City is almost within reach.



The Catherdrals 11m high organ, made and shipped over from France.






A typical carved facade in Arequipa. Made out of white volcanic stone (sillar) like 95% of the older and grander buildings



The long terrace from our hotel. Emptied because of the rainy season. In summer apparently it is full of tables.


From our balcony I observed most people read the papers front pages but nobody actually brought a paper. Perhaps I was drinking too much Coca Tea or should work for MI5!