Hangin around in Arequipa

One awesome thing about traveling so much is that you get to meet lots of other travelers like yourself, with the same openness, spontaneity and outlook on life. But the downside is that in the time it takes to get to know these friends they're already moving on to their next great adventure and you have to say goodbye. I can't even think about counting all the cool, down to earth people I've met in the past 4 years. Although I'm always reminded of how many I've lost track of when another one of my friends leaves.

Both of my close friends here left last weekend. Amanda used to be the Academic Coordinator in Extreme, and she decided to leave after deciding that she's found the love of her life and can't live away from him another minute. So she ran off to Switzerland. And then Preston, an Extreme teacher and also a former teacher in China, finished his contract and decided to travel before flying back to the States. So because the 2 of them were leaving we went around Arequipa to see some touristy things before they go.

First, I took a tour with Preston in the Cathedral at Plaza de Armas. It's an impressive Cathedral from the outside because it's white edifice built about 400 years ago out of the volcanic stone, Silla. Then inside there are a bunch of Catholic relics made of precious metals and gems or diamonds, and supposedly all of the statues and big things such as the organ were shipped from Europe especially for the church. Other than that the inside of the cathedral seemed pretty normal to me (or maybe it's only because I've been to the best of the best in Rome).

The tour took us on to the roof and gave us an awesome view out over Plaza de Armas and El Misti. Probably my favorite part of the tour. Up on the roof we saw the church bells...and the backwards 'p' in Arequipa on the side of the bell. lol.



 Later, we met up with Amanda and walked out to Mirador de Carmen Alto. I was pretty surprised that there were fields, like countryside fields, so close to the center of the city. Only within a 20 minute walk from where I live. So as we followed Rio Chili upstream there were more and more green fields along the banks of the river, until we got to the super touristy viewpoint, Mirador de Carmen Alto.

A shoeshine stand near Siglo Veinte...
I feel like it's something that would be really popular in China.