Arequipa is known as the White City, in recognition of the white stone which is quarried here and used for fences, housing and the like. It is very white and has a high level of silica in it so it really sparkles in the sun, to an extent that it hurts your eyes to look at it for an extended period. As you arrive in Arequipa it appears to be another dusty chaotic city in a developing country. But once you enter the central historical area the landscape changes. A beautiful plaza flanked by an imposing cathedral and surrounded by restaurants, coffee shops and retail outlets. It suddenly takes on the persona of a very modern cosmopolitan city. In the morning the group elected to go on a Reality Tour of the city. This is run by a sociologist named Miguel and his intention is to get you off the "tourist trail" and show another side to the city. Our first stop was a cemetery. Unusual but very interesting. Cremation is generally not practiced in Peru. In this cemetery bodies are interred in above ground crypts, that are 6 levels high. The family rents these for 30 years. At the end of the period the body is removed and disposed off and the crypt made available for another deceased person. There is also a special section for murder victims, most of whom are women that have been subjected to domestic violence. And those people who have committed suicide are buried in the ground with a simple stone to mark the spot. No flowers or other adornements mark the grave. The majority of these suicides are elderly people who have taken their lives so as not to be a burden, financial and otherwise, on their family. Quite sad really. We then visited the quarry where the white stone comes from. The workers here are the lowest paid in the city. They are provided with tools in the morning to cut the stone and the tools are taken back at night. On average they can make 25 "bricks" per day. At the end of each day their bricks are purchased if they are of the right quality. If not then they have spent the day working for no income. They average around 800 soles per month, the equivalent of around $40 AUD. A visit to a local market concluded the tour and as usual there were the regular assortment of weird and wonderful products, animals both dead and alive and other things sometimes too difficult to recognise. Miguel also explained how corruption was rife throughout the country but that the economy actually needed it to survive. Cocaine factories were accepted by the government as they paid the usual company taxes and their workers also paid tax. The drug was generally exported and therefore was not contributing to a local social problem. It had got to a stage where the government could not afford to close them down as the effect on the economy would be severe. My cold was getting the better of me so at the conclusion of the tour I visited a chemist for some drugs. That afternoon I spent resting and then went out for dinner with the group to a restaurant called Zig Zag. Sensational food. A meat trilogy of alpaca, pork and chicken. And so another day came to a conclusion.