Flying Solo

Get ready for probably the longest post ever...

For Easter weekend, I really wanted to travel somewhere. One of the places I wanted to go was Arequipa. We weren't planning to go there with our group, so I decided it would be a worthwhile destination. The only problem was, I couldn't find any travel buddies. So I decided to go alone. I organized my trip through a tour so that I wouldn't be completely alone. During the flight to Arequipa, I started to wonder if I would regret deciding to go. I knew it would be a quick weekend, and I wasn't sure how much fun it would be, traveling all alone.

I arrived in Arequipa, and when I stepped off the plane, I was so surprised. It was my first visit to the mountains of Peru, so I was just caught off guard by the change in scenery and climate. There were volcanoes in the distance! I was picked up at the airport and taken to my hotel, which was so charming! It's run by a man from Holland. I would recommend this hotel to anyone. As soon as I got settled in, I went off on a city tour with my own guide. It was Good Friday. I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but Semana Santa (or Holy Week) is a really big deal in Peru. And not just Easter weekend, but the whole week. So there was a Good Friday festival going on in historic Arequipa. The cobblestone streets were flooded with people celebrating the holiday. The smells of sweet corn and kettle corn filled the air. Vendors covered the streets, selling fruit infusions (different types of natural tea), cooked cow intestines, candied apples, chocolates. There were tables and chairs set up along the streets for people to sit down and have a warm drink. If the people weren't eating and drinking, they were walking through churches. The tradition in Areuipa is to pass through 14 churches, representing the Catholic tradition of Jesus' 14 stops on the way to the cross. I walked through a few of the churches with my guide. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder. People were just piling into churches. It was overwhelming. And the strangest part was that they were simply passing through the churches. In the entrance door and out the exit. It was so odd.

After I finished my tour, my tour guide wished me well and said goodbye. And there I stood, on a street corner in Arequipa, all alone. I found a little hole-in-the-wall pizza tavern and had a pizza and a great glass of wine. (Side note: Have I mentioned how cheap food is in Peru?? I probably just won't eat when I get back to the U.S. My whole meal plus a drink cost less than 5 dollars.) I enjoyed my cheap food and took notes on the day, which is how I'm producing this blog post two weeks later. :)

The next day, I was scheduled to leave with a tour to Colca Canyon. I had no idea what to expect. The bus picked me up early in the morning. I got on the bus and met my "family" for the next two days. I had a really sweet guide name Lilliana. The group consisted of several Peruvians, one guy from Chile, a couple from Sweden, a lady from Mexico, a guy from Paris (who was married to the Mexican), and me. Everyone knew Spanish except the man from Sweden. But his wife knew Spanish, so our guide spoke in Spanish most of the time, which was so great! I spoke Spanish almost the entire weekend, and it was so refreshing! (Sometimes the "all Spanish all the time" rule slides a little when I'm with friends...)

Thus began our journey to the Colca Valley area. The bus ride took about 4 hours. We stopped several times to see the view, the alpacas, the llamas, the vicuñas. We were ascending into the mountains for most of the trip. We stopped at the highest point of our trip (about 15,000 feet) and it was hailing! Another one of our stops was at a house which was absolutely in the middle of nowhere. We stopped to have "tea." Coca leaves is the apparent remedy for altitude sickness throughout the Andean region of Peru. So they often serve coca tea. Our guide also taught us how to properly chew coca leaves (gross). Anyway, at this stop I had a mixed tea containing coca leaves and two other types of plant. And that's actually what the tea was--leaves and plants...in water. It reminded me of when I was a kid and my brother and I would play "pretend" in the woods. I would mix together leaves and sticks to make a tea or a salad. That's exactly what this was. And I paid for it.


The last part of the trip was a descent into the Colca Valley. We stopped at one point to overlook Chivay, the town we would be staying in. The view was just breathtaking! We made it down to the valley and checked into our hotels. It rained the entire afternoon, so everything was cold and damp. I rested for a little while before we headed off to the hot spring baths in Chivay. When I picture hot springs, I picture little pools in the ground. These looked like a bunch of swimming pools complete with surrounding locker rooms and showers. And they were filled with people. It was so odd, but it was fun! I was shocked at how hot the water was! I soaked in the hot spring pool with a woman from Lima and had a lovely conversation with her. It felt so wonderful to be confident and comfortable with my Spanish.
That evening we ate dinner while watching some traditional dancers from the area. It was really enjoyable. After that, it was back to the hotel. This was another excellent hotel. It was like ski chalet meets Peruvian folk. I had a moment in my room where I just sat and had no idea what to do. There was no one around, no TV, no noise. It was a strange feeling...but a great feeling at the same time. It was so cold in my room that night. I slept with my feet wrapped in a blanket. I had a sheet, 2 blankets, an alpaca blanket, and the thickest comforter I have ever seen on top of me. And I was still cold. So I took the ever-so-thick comforter off the other bed in my room and used that. Of course, I woke up sweating in the middle of the night.

The next morning was an early one! I was up by 4:30 and ate an excellent breakfast (which made up for the early alarm clock). We got on the bus and drove through the Colca Valley to Colca Canyon. The drive there was incredible. We made frequent stops to take in the views. There were local women selling things on the side of the roads--sometimes with their babies on their backs. As I said, the views were beautiful! We drove up the sides of the mountain, so we were always looking down into the valley. There were beautiful terraced hills, lagoons, cliffs, streams running down the side of the mountains. I saw sheep, donkeys, and farmers herding their sheep and milking their cows into little tins. The valley was a brilliant, lush green, with snow-capped mountains above. I got some great photos!
We finally arrived at Colca Canyon. It's really hard to put its beauty into words. And it was also really difficult to photograph. Neither can do it justice. It was incredible. The canyon is technically twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, but its walls aren't as steep, so it doesn't appear to be as deep as it really is. I was amazed by the people at Colca Canyon. People from all over the world had come to see this incredible place. I think I heard at last 12 different languages spoken while I was there. We spent about an hour there. I even saw some condors, which was really neat. The condors are a big attraction at the canyon, but they can't always be seen. So we were lucky to see some. They are so huge!

After spending a little time at the canyon, we headed back down to Chivay. On the way, we stopped at a town called Maca. It was a tiny little town with a beautiful old church. I posed for a picture with a lady and a llama and a bird on my head. It was strange to think that the people there have changed part of their lives to make money from tourists. It was also interesting to think that once the tourists disappear, they have normal lives. They farm and milk their cows and raise their babies. Tourism is a fascinating concept...
We ate a quick lunch in Chivay before we headed back to Arequipa. The drive back was pretty uneventful. During the whole two days, our guide always threatened to make us sing if we were late. We each seemed to take our turn being late, so the punishment was never really carried out. Well, one of the girls on the tour knew I was a singer, so I got voted to be the singer on the bus. Just before we arrived to Arequipa, I gave a little Frank Sinatra performance for the group. It was silly, but fun.

When I got back to Arequipa, I didn't waste any time. I dropped my things off at the hotel and headed straight to the Plaza de Armas. I took some pictures and did a little shopping. It was so wonderful to be able to stop and take as many photos or look in as many shops as I wanted. I didn't have any deadlines or people to meet up with. It was so nice. I was exhausted from the trip to the mountains, so I didn't feel like sitting down in a restaurant for dinner. Instead, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things and headed back to my hotel. I took a shower and (this is really nerdy) sang at the top of my lungs for the very first time since I've been in Peru! It was great!! :-) I watched a movie, had a glass of wine, ate my food, and packed for the flight home in the morning.

I arrived back to Lima feeling so refreshed. I think spending some time alone is so necessary. I needed that time to get away and have a Bethany adventure. And it was a perfect adventure.