Taking It Easy In the White City

I was already starting to feel a bit under the weather before taking off for the Inca Trail. After four days of hiking my body was exhausted and it was letting me know. Between the exertion of the trail and the altitude I had been dealing with for over a week, I was ready for a break whether I wanted one or not. My next stop on Dan´s Adventure Trail was Arequipa, Peru´s 2nd largest city, surrounded by three volcanos. The city is the the best place to catch a trek to Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. But first I needed some R&R.

In Cusco I packed up my stuff, bid my travel buddy good luck on her treck to Machu Picchu, and went out in search of a taxi to catch my over-night bus to Arequipa. As soon as I hit the streets it was lights out. Literally. The power went out all over the city. It was 7pm and completely dark. But no one seemed to notice or care that the city was suddenly plunged into darkness. Cabs were still driving around and I flagged one down by practically tossing my bag in front of it. Once inside I told him I needed to go to the company office for my particular bus. Then I asked when he thought the lights might come back. He wasn´t sure. I asked if this happened often. Yes. Would it effect the busses? Probably not. Full-steam ahead then.

After sitting out in front of the bus company office for 15 minutes, in the dark in what had to be the sketchiest part of town, some one shown a flash light in my face. I was pretty sure they asked if I was going to Arequipa on their bus. I answered yes, and they motioned for me to follow them into an even darker gated area. There I saw my bus. Then the city`s lights came back on. And there I saw a waiting room with about 5 people who didn´t seem to notice the lights had gone out or come back on.

The bus ride was interesting. It was my first all-night bus trip so I picked a nicer bus company. I was on the second level (another first) and in the very back. A stewardess made a 10 minute announcement in spanish of which I understood almost nothing. When she finished I asked if she could repeat it in english. She said she instructed the passengers how to recline their seats and that bingo would start shortly. That took 10 minutes? We were going to play bingo?!

At 6:30am and after maybe a solid hour of sleep, we pulled into Arequipa`s bus terminal. It was the first bus terminal I had seen in Peru. I was feeling very sick and decided to grab a cab to a hostal immediately so I could lay down. It was early on a Sunday morning and the town was dead. We found the hostal I found in my Lonely Planet guide and I asked the clerk for a room. He said I couldn´t check in before 11am, but apparently I looked pretty bad because he offered up a 3 bed room that was ready then for the price of a 1 bed room. And there I slept for the next four hours.

I woke to my phone beeping. A text from my travel buddy. She was stuck in Aqua Calientes with no money and the only ATM in the city was broken. Machu Picchu would have to wait.

My cold was still hitting me hard but I decided to go out and get some errands done. I found a working ATM and got some money, mailed some postcards, and looked for a tour agency to sign up for a trek into Colca Canyon on Tuesday. I found an agency, but I was the only prospect they had all day and would have to wait to see if anyone else signed up. I told them I would come back later in the afternoon to check in. My stomach was growling something fierce so I went looking for the crepe restaurant Lonely Planet recommended. The menu was huge. And in Spanish. I ordered what I thought was a full breakfast with crepes, eggs, and sausage. I got a plate of sliced hotdogs.

After my disappointng breakfast I strolled around the city plaza taking in the sites and killing time hoping the tour agency would find more trekers. The plaza was packed with people. And it gave me plenty to watch, perched on my bench in the center.

Around 4pm I went back to the tour agency to see if there was any news. Still no one. They suggested I come back tomorrow morning as more people usually show up first thing. I told them I would see them at noon. There was nothing else open so I had no other options.

My head was pounding and I decided to go back to the hostal to rest. I flipped through my travel guide to see what all there was in the city to check out. Quite a bit it turns out. I jotted down a few of the highlights. Then my stomach growled. There was a ceviche restaurant a few blocks over and I had not yet tried any of Peru`s famed dish. So I cleaned myself up and eagerly went in search of dinner. It was closed - of course. I was feeling too weak to go looking for anything else. And so, when I noticed the fast food chicken place full of locals across the street, I elected that as the next best option. At about $1.80 for half a chicken and a salad bar that I decided wasn´t worth the risk, I ate fairly well. Enough to send me back to the hostal full and ready for more rest. The rest of Arequipa would have to wait until the next morning. If I felt better.