Thanksgiving in Arequipa

I just got back from a much-needed vacation to Arequipa, a dynamic and stunning department in the South of Peru. I spent the first few days of my vacation in the Colca Canyon with Edson, John, Ryan, Jon and Matt. We hiked to a beautiful oasis down in the canyon where we took in the beautiful surroundings, swam in oasis pools, avoided Pishtakos and Fish Tacos, sunbathed, and hiked around (Ok, some more than others).

I celebrated Thanksgiving Day in Arequipa City with about 20 other PCVs from all over Peru. I started my day picking up an iced-coffee at the Cuzco Coffee Company with Ancash Shannon and then went for a beautiful tour at the Monasterio de Santa Catalina with Edson. Then Ryan and I took my God-Dog Chewy on a little stroll to the Plaza de Armas and watched him stumble over himself playing with the pigeons in all his adorableness. At around 10am, I met a bunch of volunteers in the hostal kitchen and helped make our Thanksgiving feast - complete with stuffing, cranberry, salads and pumpkin pie. Once lunch was ready, Julie and I made a small Thanksgiving speech... and then we ate, and ate, and ate. Although there was no turkey present, lunch was delicious and a great taste of home. We hung out on the hostal rooftop patio all afternoon and enjoyed the gorgeous view of the city and surrounding volcanoes. We played pass-the-ipod and ended the night dancing in the bars on San Francisco. All in all, Thanksgiving was delightful. :)


Most Arequipeños say that Areqipa is the REAL capital city of Peru, and now I know why. The second largest city in Peru, the colonial structures are built from a white volcanic rock called sillar that glistens in the sun. Arequipa City is gorgeous and clean, Arequipeños are very friendly, and Andean culture and history can be seen everywhere. From the Monasterio to the Cathedral and the Mummy Juanita museum, I truly felt the Andean and Incan roots living on in the city. At an altitude of about 2700 meters, Arequipa is sunny almost year round and barely effected by the rainy season. All I can say is Arequipa is amazing and they are definitely Arequipin' it Real. But Ancash is Better. ;)

I spent the rest of the weekend walking on the beautiful streets of Arequipa, getting my fill of iced-coffee and rocoto relleno, spending quality time with some of my favorite Peru 11ers, and watching the sunsets on a rooftop bar on the Plaza de Armas in a Poncho while sipping on Pisco Sours.

***
Total time in Peruvian buses this week: 72 hours, and well worth it*
Total doses of Cipro taken: 1
Number of Pisco Sours drank: Hmmm...
Total sunsets viewed from atop the Plaza de Armas: Not enough
Number of "That's what she said" jokes played out: I couldn't count if I tried
Number of new God-Puppies acquired: 1, Chewy

A link to my pictures from my trip
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176808&id=7403642&l=3352d4a421