Above, from top - 1) Arequipa central Plaza, 2) Getting ready to bike down Chachani, 3) Biking, 4) El Misti, 5) relaxing with beer at hostel!Following our trip to the canyon, we were only supposed to have one night in Arequipa before moving onto Pisco. Obviously the earthquake forced us to change our plans and we decided to stay an extra 3 nights in Arequipa before flying to Lima and then home. Along the way we have met a few people who were in Pisco at the time of the earthquake and sound to have had a truly terrifying experience. All, however, have been thankful for the fact that they were able to get out which is more than can be said for the local people - most of whom are now struggling for food supplies and clean water, let alone a place to live.
So...the situation on Friday night was that we had 4 nights in Arequipa and nothing planned. It didn´t take us long to change that and by the time we went out for dinner we had booked another day of mountain biking and half a day of river rafting, leaving us with one day to wander (and possibly shop!) in the city. We had the lazy day on Saturday, giving our bums time to recover before another day of biking yesterday and the rafting today.
The biking was brilliant. We were driven in a 4x4 (cheating or what?!) up to the 5100m point on Chachani, the highest volcano near to Arequipa. We then spent the next 5 hours biking all the way back down to the city, a total of approximately 2500m descent. Much of the route was very rocky and there were lots of sandy stretches which were very difficult so it wasn´t as much of a cop out as it sounds! Most importantly, we did more downhill in one stretch than we would ever get the chance to do in the UK. Best of all, the last 8 miles was all on tarmaced road so we covered it in a matter of minutes. A fantastic day!
We did the river rafting this morning which was also great fun and a great way to see the countryside around Arequipa. Most of the rafting itself was fairly tame, even by my standards but the guides we had made it more exciting whenever they got the chance. Ian is now quite taken with the idea of doing a week long rafting trip next time we go somewhere where it would be possible. He might have to work on me a little for that....
So...we are now almost at the end of our trip and fly back to Lima tomorrow. Doubt there´ll be any more postings from Peru - unless there are dramas to report from the airport! What an amzing time we´ve had, 6 weeks is a long time to be away for but we both feel that we´ve really made the most of it. We´ve done most of the typical touristy stuff but we´ve also seen quite a lot extra that most people don´t see - particularly in the Huayhuash mountains. We´ve also spent a lot of time planning future trips.....
So...the situation on Friday night was that we had 4 nights in Arequipa and nothing planned. It didn´t take us long to change that and by the time we went out for dinner we had booked another day of mountain biking and half a day of river rafting, leaving us with one day to wander (and possibly shop!) in the city. We had the lazy day on Saturday, giving our bums time to recover before another day of biking yesterday and the rafting today.
The biking was brilliant. We were driven in a 4x4 (cheating or what?!) up to the 5100m point on Chachani, the highest volcano near to Arequipa. We then spent the next 5 hours biking all the way back down to the city, a total of approximately 2500m descent. Much of the route was very rocky and there were lots of sandy stretches which were very difficult so it wasn´t as much of a cop out as it sounds! Most importantly, we did more downhill in one stretch than we would ever get the chance to do in the UK. Best of all, the last 8 miles was all on tarmaced road so we covered it in a matter of minutes. A fantastic day!
We did the river rafting this morning which was also great fun and a great way to see the countryside around Arequipa. Most of the rafting itself was fairly tame, even by my standards but the guides we had made it more exciting whenever they got the chance. Ian is now quite taken with the idea of doing a week long rafting trip next time we go somewhere where it would be possible. He might have to work on me a little for that....
So...we are now almost at the end of our trip and fly back to Lima tomorrow. Doubt there´ll be any more postings from Peru - unless there are dramas to report from the airport! What an amzing time we´ve had, 6 weeks is a long time to be away for but we both feel that we´ve really made the most of it. We´ve done most of the typical touristy stuff but we´ve also seen quite a lot extra that most people don´t see - particularly in the Huayhuash mountains. We´ve also spent a lot of time planning future trips.....
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