Taking the night bus to Arequipa was the best decision because it saved money on a nights stay and there was no one on the bus so I had a whole section to myself. Arrived at 5:30am to my hotel and thankfully the receptionist let me in. He was really rude to me saying I couldn't fill up my water and tried to charge me the full price without the Peru Hop discount. Thankfully there was a living room where I could get organized and charge my phone. I packed my medium sized backpack for my 2 day/1 night tour to Colca Canyon and then rested for 30 minutes before breakfast. Thankfully I was able to use my free breakfast with the night reservation and I didn't need it the morning after my actual reservation since I was going to be picked up at 5am the next morning. So I went to get breakfast which was buffet style and the best ham/cheese, scrambled eggs, and fruit. The mini van picked me up right on time and was filled with a family, 2 other color travelers and a two couples. The tour guide was this short LA chica from Arequipa and was great. We stopped for snacks and then again to see these animals on the side of the road that I had never seen before, palcones?? Which are half alpaca half valcone. They ran beautifully and were beige and white colored. Then we stopped at this spot where there were lamas and alpacas all in this one area with pink ribbons and it was very touristy but whatever. Then stopped to view the volcanos around us, there were at least 5 and you could see smoke coming out of one of them, all over 4km high. We arrived in Chivay and had a nice buffet lunch where I started talking to the Italian solo traveler who's from Florence, Italy and an eye doctor. We chatted about my past in Italy and then where we've been and where we're going on our travels. Then it was time to go to our hostels and check in. We had an hour until the hot springs so I got organized in my room and then walked to the plaza where there was a festival going on- apparently it was the 85th anniversary of Arequipa so they were celebrating. I saw some really neat birds called palcones and very different type of colorful party structures around the square. It was a very small village so there were poor people and you could tell not a lot going on in the areal Went back to the hostel and got.picked up to go to the hot springs where it was just the 3 of us solo travelers . The hot springs were NOT natural and there were a good amount of people there but I went in anyway. It felt good, and then Melissa (the tour guide) asked if I wanted to participate in this ceremony called "banos de. " to get rid of.bad luck and bring in good luck so I said sure. I went to the place inside the indoor hot springs and the man cited some rituals at the same time as spraying some leaves on me with incense. It felt a bit weird but glad I did it. Then we went back and had an hour until dinner so I showered and watched this parade happen right outside my door with a band playing and people dancing (the typical Peruvian folk music). The dinner was set in this set-up touristy restaurant with 4 different groups and a stage at the front. I ordered creole soup and chicken rice dish and the band started playing. Then dancers came outa nd danced this traditional folk dance which was really neat. It was nice to see the different dances and then it was time to leave so we all got dropped off…it was a lot of driving (picking up and dropping off everyone at different hostels-I thought we would all be staying at the sane place but that wasn't the case). Once I was finally in bed, the parade came back around and it was loud so I was really annoying that it was happening this late since it was 11pm. I finally fell asleep and had to be up at 5am to get breast and continue on the tour. We stopped at this square filled with the locals dancing and a nice church, the first stopping point out of many that I wasn't reallly aware of. The next stop was at this other white church that was nice and we tried the sour chiclayo and it was filled with tourists so I was getting annoyed. Then we went to the Cruz Del Cantor viewpoint that was filled with more tourists but we actually got lucky that day because we saw at least 3 condors and it was a windy day so they kept coming out and it was beautiful watching them fly with their 3m length open wings. We were there for an hour and then stopped at at least 3 other viewpoints of the Colca Canyon which were pretty but I was tired of stopping and getting off and on. Finally we were on our way back and arrived in Arequipa around 5pm I checked into my room right away and then walked to the main place Plaza de Armas and it was sunset and absolutely gorgeous with the white all around the square. It was a Friday night so it was very lively and I got some of that frozen cheese dessert that was delicious with cinnamon on it and people watched for a bit. Then I went to dinner at Zig Zag that was recommenced by Melissa and also Culture Trip Blog. Ordered a salad and it was delicious and big. I really enjoyed walking around Arequipa that night, it was definitely somewhere I could go back to, even though the surroundings weren't great. The town itself is the second largest in Peru and filled with nice people and lively shops and restaurants. I went back to my hotel and organized my things and did some yoga, took a hot shower and went to bed. Woke up to be ready for Peru Hop and come to find it there were tons of backpackers also in the same situation. We waited a while for the bus to arrive and the Italian guy (Jacob) was also in the same situation. It was a mad scene trying to get on the bus, people were swoarming to get there bags in and on. I got a nice seat in the front and we were finally on our way to Puno. We stopped for snacks at this gas station where I got a nice warm quinoa drink to give me energy and some bread. We arrived in Puno around 1pm where we all got dropped off at our hostels in a mini van. Puno was beautifully colorful right on Lake Titicaca and you could tell going through some renovations with broken down buildings and construction everywhere, small tiny streets. There was this other guy in the same hotel as me and we both checked in. Come to find it he's Italian because he started speaking Italian to the front desk receptionist. Thankfully he asked if I wanted to go get food with him since both our rooms weren't available yet so we took.a stroll down the main street. We talked about where we were coming from and where we're gong and then stumbled upon this very local restaurant where you wouldn't see any tourists. We were served Chifa - chicken noodle soup basically but South American style and then friend chicken with rice and vegetables. We talked a lot about Italy and my time there and then tattoos. His name is Alex and he told me about his time in Buenos Aires for a year where he got a couple piercings and a tattoo. He ate very slowly and I was hungry but also eat slowly but the way he talked and ate so slowly reminded me of being in Italy all over again with how slow everything is (my kind of lifestyle). I told him about my background and how I came to be doing what I'm doing and share my yoga inspiration and then we exchanged Instagrams and Whatsapp. lI had to be back by 3 for the boat tour to the floating islands of Uros and we walked back, he had a cig and checked into out rooms which btw was awesome. Had a balcony and was just really luxury and only $42. I sat outside in the sun and took it all in as I waited for the mini van to pick me up for the tour. I recognized one of the girls on the tour from another place, and we started talking and come to think of it I saw her in either Quito or Banos. She's from the UK and we sat next to each other on the boat and got to know another. The tour was great and learned about how they made the reef islands over 500 years ago from the expansion the Inca empire. We both got dinner in town and I told her about my background and dug a little deeper into my breakup. We then had deep conversation about life and society and politics and how we both feel about the importance of traveling. Then got waters and said goodbye. I had told Alex we could meet up after the tour so we went to get a drink at this bar on the main street - I got a maracuya sour and he got a mojito. We talked a lot about family and Italy, traditions, background and mostly family. He told me a lot that I didn't know about Italy and I told him about US and it was a really great conversation that lasted about 2 hours. We went back to the hotel and he kissed me goodnight, He had paid for my drink and I tried giving him money but he wouldn't take it so I told him I would say goodbye in the morning and give him the money. Got organized, had a hot shower, went to bed and got up to say goodbye. I was able to give him the money and say goodbye and told him I would let him know when I'm in Italy. I got breakfast and then got ready for the Peru Hop trip to Bolivia. The immigration was more difficult than expected, I had to have everything printed out which I didn't and didn't realize I had to have a photocopy of my face so I had to pay extra for printing and the photocopy. And then their card services weren't working so I had to get cash out and there wasn't an ATM so I had to pay an. Extra $10 to get the cash totaling $170 for the visa. They covered a whole page of my passport and it's valid for 10 years. Since it took so long I had to take a taxi with one of the Peru Hop guys to Copacabana which was only like 10 minutes away. We talked about presidents and he told me about the Peruvian president that was elected and doing well but didn't want to be president. The Bolivian president not so good which makes sense given the economy. Copacabana was this cute town (similar to Puno but more elegant looking with many colorful boots at the shore and colorful buildings. I put my backpack in the bus and took a stoll to the restaurant I had looked up on Culture Trip which was some what difficult to find because it was perked up on the hill outside of all the touristy shops. I was amazed to find this stunning hotel.restaurant with the most beautiful view of the lake and town. I sat outside in the sun and ordered stuffed trout which was the best trout I've ever had. The funny thing is that I ordered trout in Puno the night before and got Salmon instead. I had the best lunch at that restaurant and was very pleased but also started feeling a bit buzzed after just 2 beers, I guess because of the elevation? I then went to the hammock and laid in the sun and took a short nap. Then walked to the church that was also beautiful with all white and colorful top designs and there were colorful tents right outside with locals selling things. The inside was filled with this 18 century gold and it was so beautiful! Then I went to one of the touristy restaurants and ordered a chocolate coffee cream drink that was super delicious and a pizza to go, sat out on the beach/coast and watched the sunset while waiting for the bus. The bus left a little late but the sunset was gorgeous. Thankfully I had a whole section to myself again and we had to ta take a boat across a lake in the dark which was interesting and not expected but was fine. The bus also got dragged across the lake which was pretty neat to see. Got to La Paz around 10pm (Bolivia is an hour ahead of Peru). You can definitely tell the difference to Bolivia as it's very run down and trashy.