Arequipa's altitude

Arequipa

I spent a little more than 15 hours on the Cruz del Sur bus to Arequipa. If I could access wi-fi in the bus, as long as there was cell phone reception, it was strangely easier to get online in the middle of nowhere than in the cities themselves. It was also the first chance I had to taste Inka Cola, a soft drink with bubble gum taste. Hmmm!

I was very excited to get to Arequipa because that was where I was meeting my friend Peter, who was coming from Huacachina. He was supposed to get there one hour before me and to wait at the bus station.

In the end, we were both late, him more than me, so we got there at the same time. We then could negociate for a taxi that would bring us to our hostel, Arequipay Backpackers. It really feels like paradise for those who expect to spend several days, which wasn't our case.

Located at about 2500 m above see level, that city is a great way to get used to the altitude. "I feel nothing", I told myself just after I got there.

But it took just a little time (and exercise) for a headache to strike. That is one of the signs of altitude sickness... and fatigue of course.

So we only walked in the old town, where a homeless man begged us several times. We then went on the walking street where tourists can enjoy themselves in western-like restaurants like McDonald's, KFC and Starbucks.

We still walked further to find a vegetarian restaurant, very small but packed with locals, where we had a three course meal for seven soles (2,50 $). There was so much food we couldn't eat it all.

The more the day was going, the harder it got to combine altitude and fatigue. So we slowed down while deciding on a two days trek in the Colca Canyon for the next day. We had to wake up at 3 in the night to go there. So we ate again before going back to the hostel to pack for the trekking awaiting.