Arequipa

Arequipa, Peru

I got up at 4 am and took a taxi to the Lima airport, and arrived in Arequipa at 8am.  My first impression was that we landed in a sand desert.  There was no vegetation, only dirt and rock.  Although barren, the scenery was really pretty just as the sun was coming up over the three mountain ranges that encircle the city: Chachani, El Misti, and Picchu Picchu.  All three are snow capped.

The weather in Arequipa was really interesting.  Super warm during the day, and when in the sunlight.  But in the shade and at night it was particularly cold.  I learned this the hard way when on my first day in Arequipa, I took a bus tour of the city from 2pm – 6pm.  I had reserved a seat on the second floor of the bus that was open air.  It was great during the afternoon, but as soon as the sun started to fall so did the temperature: rapidly.  The tour was awesome though, and thanks to the open air top, I got to see a lot.  Arequipa is a really interesting city, that is not at all what it seems at first glance.  Along the river that runs through the city is lush vegetation where a lot of crops are grown.  Check out the pics, it almost looks like the San Joaquin valley in CA.

Before going on the tour I also visited the infamous Santa Catalina convent.  Its huge, and kind of expensive to get in, but totally worth it.  Its beautiful and you can get a free guided tour from an actual person in the language of your choice.  I tagged along with a group of Frenchies.

The next day, I went out to lunch with Celia and her daughter at a typical Arequipeño style restaurant called “Tipika.”  I ordered Chupe de Camaron, which is a typical dish from Arequipa, and it was delicious.  Celia and her daughter Natalie both ordered a cut of meat that was the back of the pig, skin and all.  It was a HUGE piece of meat.  This day also happened to be Peru’s independence day, and they had just elected a new president, so everyone was off of work.  That night I went out to celebrate Peru’s independence day with two of my Mexican friends that I had met in Colombia while in San Gil.  Had an awesome time, but the atmosphere was a bit quiet around town., which was kind of unexpected.

The next day I took an overnight, 10 hour bus to Cusco.  The company I went with was called Cromotex.  The overnight buses in South America offer two seat options: “semi-cama,” and “cama ejecutivo.”  In the first option, which is what I reserved, the seat reclines to about 45° from vertical and your feet are supported.  Dinner, and beverages were included, nothing special, but the ride was comfortable and I managed to get some sleep.  Apparently cama ejecutivo is where its really at: fully reclinable seats, and gourmet dinners with wine on some better carriers.

The plane I took to Arequipa.  Early morning view of the volcanoes

Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas cathedral to the left.

Convento de Santa Catalina

Convento de S.C.

Convento de S.C.

Convento de S.C.

View from the highest point of the convent

The tour bus I took that afternoon

View from the top of the bus

View of El Misti from El Mirador Yanahuara

El Mirador de Yanahuara

Valle del Chili, agricultural region in Arequipa.  Arequipa even produces its own special type of papaya.

A guanaca at the llama farm....he ended up spitting at this tourist guy who was trying to take his picture.  Pretty funny, but sucked for the guy.  I guess no one had warned them about the animal's sensitivity to attention.

View from the bus

View from the bus...starting to get really cold, but the view was worth it.

View from the bus.

A grain mill we visited on the tour. Beautiful.

LIMA

Lima, Peru

I arrived in Lima on Saturday around 5pm, and was greeted by a taxi driver holding a sign with my name on it.  The woman I was staying with, Giovanna, sent him to pick me up.  My first views of Lima were at dusk, and I was ecstatic to see the Pacific Ocean again!  We drove along the cost for a little bit, and I have to say it reminded me of the northern CA coastline a bit.  It was overcast, and there were surfers in wetsuits in the water.

My first night in Lima Giovanna took me out to a restaurant called Mangoes in the famous posh mall called Larcomar.  The mall is right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean.  I can only imagine that its an awesome place to hang out in the summer time. 

Quick note about the weather: right now it is winter, and the city is covered in a blanket of clouds.  I read in my guidebook that this is typical for this time of year, and that the sun doesn’t break through the cloud cover until summer arrives.  Its not super cold, definitely not as cold as it gets in CA during the winter, but I have been breaking out my pea coat (which I only used once when I was in Bogotá).

My first meal in Peru was a raw seafood fest: we ordered an appetizer that came with two types of ceviche (spelled cebiche here), octopus, and two other Peruvian fish apetezers that I cant remember the name of right now.  I also had a pisco sour to wash it all down.

That night we went to a friend of Giovanna’s house for a surprise birthday party, and afterwards we went out dancing at one of the big casinos in Miraflores.  Unfortunately, I was exhausted (having gone to my “fiesta de despedida,” going away party, in Bogotá, the night before), so we ended up going home a little early (3 am).  Apparently, its typical for the clubs here to stay open till 5 am or later.

The next day I went and explored downtown Lima, El Centro.  I walked around the plaza de Armas, the plaza San Martin, and went on a bus tour of the Cerro San Cristobal.  The bus tour was pretty cool.  We drove through one of the largest favelas in Lima, and I, being the only white girl on the bus, was sitting in the front seat, with huge windows for all to see.  Go figure.  I did get great views though of the favela and all the buidlings we passed on the ride. 

Unfortunately, I’ve been having some huge internet connection issues, and so my third day in Lima I went to the gym with Giovanna, and then spent the afternoon trying to fix my computer.  I then gave up and headed to an internet café to get things done.  I did manage to have lunch in Miraflores though: ceviche, and french onion soup.  Lima has had a greater variety of food, with a cheaper price tag than Colombia.

My last day in Lima, I spent the first half in Miraflores, and the second half in Barranco.  I loved both Miraflores and Barranco.  Both are really nice neighborhoods with high rises facing the ocean.  I took the 45 minute walk along the boardwalk from Miraflores to Barranco.  On the way I got beautiful ocean views, and saw paragliders.  My walk ended at the Puente de los suspiros, the bridge of sighs, in Barranco.  It was an overall georgeous day, with views.

A few notes about Lima that are different from Bogotá:

1. Colder weather. 
2. The ocean!  It keeps air cleaner by blowing away pollution, and reminds me of SF.
3. Inka Cola: it’s the national Peruvian rival to Coca-Cola.  Its yellow, and its delicious!
4. Ceviche, ceviche, ceviche, among tons of other fish dishes.  I was in heaven!
5. KFC, Chili’s, Starbucks.  All chains here.
6. There’s a huge Japanese and Chinese population here.  Hence, there are Sushi restaurants, and a type of Chinese-Peruvian fusion cuisine called “Chifa.” (haven’t tried it yet, but hopefully soon).

Seafood dish at Mangoes the first night.  Un-believable. It even had two different kinds of Ceviche (spicy, and creamy)

The club in the massive casino with live music at 3am

Plaza de Armas en el centro

My view from the tour bus, on our way to the Cerro San Cristobal

Cerro San Cristobal is on the very top of that hill

On our way

Cerro San Cristobal

View of Lima from the top

A family performing a religious ceremony at the Cerro

Ceviche and French onion soup.  Each could have been their own dish.  Ate it all.

Peruvian beer from Cusco.

Miraflores

The pacific ocean view from Miraflores

Parque del Amor

Another awesome lunch

Larcomar, the outdoor cliffside mall

Paragliders along the Lima coastline.

El puente de los suspiros

Inca Cola.

Purple corn (maiz) which Peruvians use to make a fermented or unfermented beverage or soft drink.

Taganga and Parque Nacional Tayrona

Taganga, y Parque Nacional Tayrona, Colombia

I spent the next four days after Cartagena in a small fishing village called Taganga, and one night in the national park Tayrona.  Taganga was a four-hour bus ride from Cartagena.  I took a private bus that picked me up from where I was staying in Cartagena and dropped me off right in front of the hostel I stayed at in Taganga. 

I arrived in Taganga on a Sunday at around 4pm, and apparently Sunday is party day, because literally the entire town was out on the beachfront (which only stretches about a quarter of a mile) drinking.  There are only four paved roads in Taganga and the rest are really uneven dirt roads littered with trash.  My guidebook had described Taganga as a cute touristy fishing village that was a great alternative to Santa Marta.  Upon first impression, I didn’t agree with the book.  At first, it seemed a little dangerous, and because the entire town had been drinking when I first got there, I felt like I had to really watch my back around town.  However, as I settled in, met people at my hostel, and got a little more used to the environment, I came to realize that its actually a relaxing, beachy place, that is in fact really touristy.  In small towns like Taganga, you always feel safer in numbers.  The main beach in Taganga isn’t very nice….its kinda dirty and usually overrun with people.  But, only a 15 minute walk around the peninsula, you arrive at playa grande, a much nicer, beautiful beach with chairs that you can rent.  My second day in Taganga I spent the entire day there with some friends I met at my hostel, and managed to down another fried fish lunch.  This one was special though because I got to pick the fish I wanted to eat (freshly caught that morning).  It was awesomely delicious.

   So the main reason I went to Taganga in the first place was to go to Tayrona.  Tayrona is a national park that is known to have the most beautiful untouched beaches on the carribean coast of Colombia.  After two nights in Tanganga, I took an hour bus ride from my hostel to the park entrance.  I managed to only pay the student fee by just showing my Javeriana ID card, and saved 20 000 pesos (always nice).  I bought a couple snacks to last me for a day and a huge bottle of water.  Equipped with my backpack, a bathing suit, toiletpaper and a change of clothes, I began the two hour hike through the jungle/forrest to get to Cabo San Juan, where I would camp that night.  The hike was awesome.  I met a dutch guy who was going to the same campsite, so we walked together.  We passed through jungle terrain, walked along deserted beaches, and along muddy trails for two hours…while sweating though our clothes.  It was a great hike, and I even enjoyed the sweat.  Didn’t manage to see any wildlife, but saw armies of ants, and one neon green lizard. 

Cabo San Juan is a campsite steps away from the beach, where you can rent hammocks to sleep in for about 30 000 pesos, $15. (A little pricey for just a hammock, outdoor showers, and shared bathrooms, but, totally worth it for the beach, and the atmosphere, you’re in paradise).  Almost everyone at this campsite was a traveling backpacker: all were tourists.  Ill let the pictures speak for themselves on this one, check them out below.  There are really no words to describe how pretty it was.

I only spent one night in the Tayrona park as I was essentially there alone.  I probably could have easily slept in a hammock for a week, and enjoyed paradise a little longer though, but only if the bathroom/shower situation had been better equipped.  Instead, I headed back to Taganga mid afternoon on the 20^th of July, just in time for the Independence day festivities.  Taganga has a couple really nice open air bars/clubs that over look the ocean.  My favorite was called “El Mirador,” which is up on cliff from which you can see the entire cove in which the town is situated.

Boardwalk in Taganga on Sunday party day

Everyone partying at the beach

The hostel I stayed at also owned a B&B that had a pool and restaurant.  People staying at the hostel could use their facilities

Sunset at the restaurant

The view from the "El Mirador" bar

On our way to playa grande...this is a view of Taganga

the trail to playa grande

Playa Grande.  Hermosa.

Fish selection for lunch

Street that our hostel was on in Taganga

Begining of the two hour trail to Cabo San Juan in Tayrona national park

Can you seen the mighty ants carrying the bits of leaves?

Still on the trail

This was a tease...our campsite was another hour away.  But this was so pretty!

La piscina, an all natural swimming pool along the trail to Cabo San Juan

Cabo San Juan view.  It started to get dark and stormy once we got there.

If you're lucky enough, you can rent the hammocks in the hut up top.

Hammock I slept in, with mosquito net.

Beach at Cabo San Juan.  Water was amazing. 

Sunset overlooking the Taganga bay