Hello from Arequipa,

So after two 18 hour bus rides and a couple days in Lima, Jacquie and I are now in Arequipa with our third travel mate, Preeti. Preeti is a friend I met 2 years ago at PSYL, the summer leadership program that Pearson runs yearly and since the program we've kept in touch to the point where last summer she decided to come on trip.

Right, so when I left off with the last update Jacquie and I had a few hours to kill before catching an 18 hour bus to Lima.Naturally, like any travellers in a small town that lies right beside a long, sandy beach, we took a few books and went and relaxed in the sun. The only difference between that day and the day before is that we found out we didn't have to pay to use the beach chairs and the umbrella. So we set up camp with all our stuff and relaxed as we watched people pass by selling anything from food to sunglasses to jewellery to talking monkey dolls. All in all the afternoon was excellent and I think if we had more time, we could have easily spent a week there.

Unfortunately (or so we thought), at around 7:30 that evening we had to head to the terminal to catch the bus to Lima. Just to our luck, however, when we arrived at the terminal we were told we had been upgraded to a nicer bus and for the same price (we had bought tickets for the cheapest bus we could find). Every time I asked WHY we had such good luck though, the guy just would not tell us. All he would say is "Luck."So our conversation basically went like this?

Taylor: "So why all the luck? What happened?"

The Guy: (points at us and says) "Luck!"

Taylor: "yes, but why do we have all the luck?

The guy:(points at us and says) "Luck!"

Taylor: "Well, yes, but where did the luck come from?"

The Guy: (points to the ceiling and says) "From above!"

Taylor: "But no, really, why so much luck?"

The Guy: (points to us and says) "Luck!"

Anyways, it was at about that time that I gave up asking why and just accepted the fact that we had some sort of luck that we didn't really understand. We didn't even really know why we were lucky or what had changed until we got on the bus and after that, all I can say is WOW!!! Talk about luxury.This bus was not only spacious, but on the seat in front of us there was a tray table and a part you could pull down to rest your legs on (sort of forming a bed almost). And then at the bottom of that part was a perfectly positioned foot rest. As for the seat itself, it was designed to lean back until it was almost flat, without disturbing the people behind you. And wow were those seats ever comfortable.They even gave us a free breakfast and dinner. And the movies were DECENT (most movies shown on Ecuadorian/Peruvian buses, include one of the following "actors": Jean Claude Van Dam, the Rock, Steven Seagal, Unknown Wrestler, Anyone else who can beat up an infinite number of bystanders without breaking a sweat?I think you know the ones!).We basically spent this bus trip talking about how awesome a deal this was.

In contrast to that bus, however, the bus to Arequipa?an otherwise normal bus? seemed small, cramped, uncomfortable and just not up to par.No free meals, no tray tables and defiantly no place to rest our legs. And when they weren't playing a really bad Asian movie, it was because they had decided to put on some no name movie about terrorists trying to destroy the "free world."I think it goes without saying that after experiencing the luxury buses, it's hard to go back to the old ways.

Anyways, we arrived in Lima at around 1:00pm on the 6th where we were met by Juanca's father and sister. They came to pick us up at the bus terminal and then took us to their home for some lunch, before we went and met Preeti at the Airport. All of the meetings went off without a hitch and before we knew it we were touring Lima with Juanca's father. Now, I must admit, I didn't have very high hopes for Lima going into the city. Everything I had heard/read about the city told me it was big, ugly, and generally a pretty crappy place for tourists (no offence Juanca). And to be honest, I think if we didn't have Juanca's family to show us the sites, I probably would have left with that feeling. The big tourist area where we would have stayed is officially the most typically North American part of the country I have ever seen, complete with Hooters, KFC, McDonalds, Tony Romas, Starbucks and Radio Shack, to name a few. That and Lima itself is one of those cities where it could easily take outsiders a good couple days just to get oriented, before they could start appreciating what it has to offer.

Like I was saying though, I think that's how I WOULD have found it, if it wasn't for Juanca's family.His family and his father in particular, took us around the city for two days, showing us the sites, explaining to us a bit about the history and the current situation of the country, and introducing us to some amazing Peruvian desserts.I ended up leaving Lima, wishing that I had more time to spend there because there still seemed to be so much more to see and experience.I must say that for me, the nicest part about travelling, is meeting people and just having the chance to talk to them and to hear their perspective on things.I find it really easy to pass by monuments, ruins, and other important sites, and to only really appreciate the architecture or the physical beauty of it all, without understanding what it means or the history behind it or what effect it has had on the people of that country.Getting to know Juanca's family in Lima, much like getting to know Lucia's in Quito, gave me that experience and I think it will help me to put things in perspective a little better as we see more and more in the country.

After our two days in Lima, Preeti Jacquie and I boarded another 18 hour bus (see the second bus described above) to Arequipa.We arrived here around 1pm today and have since spent the day looking around town, checking out churches and wandering through a large convent they have here in the city.I'm going to post my pictures later, but to give you an idea of the city, much of the downtown core is apparently made out of white volcanic stone that gives a gorgeous look to the old colonial architecture. Then surrounding the city are high volcanic peaks and otherwise fairly arid desert.

Tomorrow we're going to spend the morning in the city and then in the late afternoon we're going to head to the Colca Canyon for some hiking and to hopefully catch a glimpse of the Condors, as we continue along the gringo trail.

As for right now, I'm off to drop my clothes at the laundry and to take a much needed shower.

Take Care.