Arequipa, Peru

After spending some time in Nasca, checking out the lines, it was time to go to Peru´s second biggest city: Arequipa.  I showed up at the bus station and a group of Americans were heading to the Flying Dog Hostel.  I split a taxi with them and when we got to the hostel I took a room.  It was a very pretty hostel with a bar, pool table and rooftop terrace.  I asked to volunteer there but they didnt need me.  After two days I found a job volunteering at the Point Hostel.  I worked there for four days before the Flying Dog told me I could come back and work as bartender.  I quit my job at the Point, went and did Trash Hike, and when I returned I started as a bartender.

 Here I am with my fellow coworkers and volunteers.  On left Pedro from Puebla MExico.  In the middle Lalo from Buenos Aires Argentina.  IN front Misti the flying dog and mascot of the hostel.

 Map in my room with black outlining the route I have taken from Bogota up to the CAribbean and down to Southern Peru.

 Taking the Flying Dog Misti for a walk in the streets of Arequipa.  I dont know why they call her the flying dog.  She is lazy.  She lasts about ten minutes on walks before she runs out of energy.

 Beautiful street in Arequipa.  The architecture here is very similar to Europe and Spain, much more so than anywhere else in Peru, Ecuador or Colombia.

 A shot of the bar in the Flying dog hostel.  I worked here every night.  While I was here I started my own Pisco Sour tasting event on the weekends.  It got people in the bar to sample our pisco sours and then they bought other drinks.  It was a huge success and now the manager will continue with it.

 In the Plaza de Armas in the center of town in Arequipa.

 Me and Pedro walking around town in a little European style side street.

 So many churches and cathedrals in this city.  If thats what your into you should come here.

 Me and Pedro hard at work behind the bar ready to make some pisco sours.  Pisco sour involes the liquor Pisco.  It is an alchohol made of grapes around 40% alchohol.  with egg white, sugar and lime juice shaken over ice.  I experimented with many different ones during my time here including Mango sour, Maracuja sour, Watermelon Sour, and the crazy German guy even made a Garlic Sour which was suprisingly not very bad.

 Walking on the streets there is never a shortage of dogs.  My friend Jess from California petting this Massive Bull Mass Dog.  The picture doesnt do it justice, this dog was huge!!!  The dogs are so friendly which is great for me because I dont have a rabies shot....eeek!!!

 Flavala shot in Arequipa.  800,000 people live in this city.

All in all Areqipa was a great city.  I spent three weeks here which is more than any other city in my travels besides Buenos Aires.  The food kinda sucks.  One of the delicacies of the city is Guinea Pig... No thank you.  But I recomend you go here and you definitely have to check out the Flying Dog Hostel.  It is so beautiful, so friendly and so sociable.  Much better than the Point or the Wild Rover.

Peru: Trash Hike 2015

Misti Volcanoe is near the City of Arequipa in Peru.  It stands at 5800 m.  Remember the tallest Mountain in the Canadian Rockies isn't even 4000 m.  Late one morning, a German guy and I decided we would hike to Misti.

From the town of Arequipa we walked around the city trying to find a bus.  With no luck and being constantly set off in different directions when asking people for help, we eventually paid a taxi driver to drive us a bit.  He drove us through a Flavala and eventually dropped us off at the cemetery.  He pointed at four trees and told us to walk there.

The first part of the walk was through the city dump.  Enchanting nature and temperate desert climate dominate the ambience of this tranquil Peruvian landscape.  This hike had everything and the kitchen sink... literally, if you look closely enough.  We even found half of a metal police badge on the ground, but we had to leave it behind because it was too heavy to hike up the mountain.

Past the trash and on the road to the Volcanoe.  This part of the hike would have been nice to have paid someone with a four by four to drive us this road which took us four hours to walk.  To the left you can barely make out the four trees we had to walk to.

Finally arrive at the four trees just in time for Sunset.  The entire walk was just cactuses and then at a higher elevation there are these four trees.

Natural sunset ambience so beautiful you are sure you could be in Africa.

And what do you know?  Some sort of ruins hanging out nearby.  Who needs Machu Pichu when you have The Trash Hike Ruinas.

Off in the distance another range.  I believe this one to be called Chachani.

Near our camp crosses and litters of empty bottles.  We were the only people camping here this night, but with the amount of empty bottles, you could tell there had been many good times at this spot.

Sunset at last.

Shot of Misti at Sunset.

Shot of the town of Arequipa.  800,000 people live in this city, the second biggest in Peru.

The next morning, with no more water, and me having to start my job in the evening, we decided to turn back without summitting.  Another failed attempt at a volcanoe in South America for me.  But still a great one day camping trip.

And on the walk out, the luscious nature of trash hike overwhelms the senses.  My friend Stephane from Germany leading the way.