We arrived in Arequipa, Peru after more than 24 hours of traveling. The scenery is dominated by a looming conical volcano (19k ft) and another similarly high and snow peaked range. Both were so tall and so close that they rose abnormally high in the sky- impressive! Our inexpensive ($35) hotel room framed the volcano perfectly with a large picture window. The only downside was climbing four flights of stairs in the thin air (elevation 7600 ft).
Arequipa is called the white city because it was settled by the Spaniards, and as result it has attractive colonial architecture - including a very colorful monastery. We ate at some nice restaurants and tried local specialties like alpaca and ceviche - both were good. We did not try the "cuy" (aka guinea pig).
Walking the streets we learned why renting a car was not recommended for this trip: 90% of the cars were taxis, there are no defined lanes, and stop signs are completely ignored. Seriously, cars just bully their way through four-way intersections without stopping. Looks like chaos, but we didn't see any accidents. Pedestrians do not have the right of way of course.
We spent one afternoon whitewater rafting on the local Chili River - a very technical descent (ie, lots of big rocks to navigate). It was great fun, but a bit cold (glacial fed river), and I had my nasal passages well flushed by the gushing rapids. Another afternoon was spent at a museum of Incan artifacts including the "ice maiden," a well-preserved mummy recently discovered - she was sacrificed and buried on top of one of the highest mountains in the 1500s.
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