From Nazca to Arequipa

Hey folks,

it's been some time but I'm back to attack your brain cells with new stories, adventures and a lot of pictures! Here's a funny one to cheer you up.


I have to start from the beginning... Yesterday I went to Nazca (named after a famous Peruvian culture), where you can find - some might know - the famous "Nazca Lines" (Nomen est omen!). These so called geoglyphes are long lines in the sand surrounded by black stones, which contrast to the white soil and by that... you can see them from a plane! And that's just what I did.


The different figures were constructed in a period of 1000 years (300 B.C. to 700 A.C.) and their purpose still poses a mistery to scientists around the world. Were they of astronomical use for the Nazcas or just simple streets or even of extraterrestrial origin? No one knows...


After that I happened to be asked by a travel agent if I wanted to go on a tour to some Nazca tombs. The price was okay and I decided to do so and it was not in any kind a bad decision! Our guide was hell of an entertainer. His gestures, facial expressions and ways of storytelling were faboulous! The tombs weren't that interesting but his explanations made up for it!


On this tour was a German guy named Andreas who is from Saarbruecken. In the evening the two of us went to have a look at the city of Nazca which rather is a little town with only a few interesting streets all gathered near the main square. We finally found a nice cocktail bar where we wanted to drink some Pisco Sour (hope you remember) and the bartender there was a funny fellow! He introduced us to his friend Tom, who is a hostel and language school owner, donator to public institutions and father of I don't know how many adopted Peruvian children. Tom is Canadian and what I would call a hobby-magician. He stunned us with some of his tricks.


I didn't stay in Nazca, though this bartender would certainly have made me do so... but I had booked an overnight bus to Arequipa and had to move on. These buses, by the way, are darn comfortable (see http://www.cruzdelsur.com.pe).

In Arequipa I had some trouble finding the hotel my Peruvian friends had booked for me as it did not exist at all! Well, at least at the address I had. So me and Andreas (he happened to be on the same train as me and joined me in Arequipa) had to look for another one. Just to calm you, we found a nice one near the main square.


And then... Arequipa, the white city, beautiful I can tell you and much more quiet than Lima but with more taxis (in relation)! It was weird to see so many cabs in one place. Probably there are more of them here than inhabitants.


We went to nice churches and monasteries in the morning but the best part was the visit of the Santa Catalina cloister, which is so big, it's a city within the city. Yes you hear right! There are street in this monasteries with names of Spanish cities (Calle Sevilla or Calle Cordoba, for example). If you know about the rules of the convent, the nuns were not allowed to get in contact with the outside world, you can understand this urbanizing effort.
Everything within this complex was a stunning sight, I was especially fond of the blue and red walls.



Later we also had a stroll through the local market (which is huge), tried some fruits and marvelous papaya juices. As well, we paid a visit to the cathedral of Arequipa which is rather simple but has some intricate and splendid details (the chandelier, the pulpit, for example).



Right now I'm sitting here in an internet cafe with cell-like cabins hoping to find my way out of this IT-labyrinth and to write you again...

Cya!