Before we headed to Cusco, we decided to have an acclimatization stop in Arequipa. For me, it was an acclimatization in every way: It felt funny to be back at the place where I spent two weeks finalizing my PhD thesis the last time….however, I was quite stressed. Compared to the last visit, time was an issue as we only had four weeks and I felt obliged to show my dad as much as possible. We’ve started the trip with almost no pre-planning, which used to be a fantastic approach during my sixteen months of traveling, but this time, some planning, scheduling and flight bookings were necessary.

We managed to get most of the stuff done in a day and I started to enjoy Peru’s white city afterwards. We ate lunch at the same delicious small restaurant I’ve visited almost every day a few years ago and enjoyed good coffees and sweets in the little coffee shops around. I was (again) shocked by the sacrificial rites of the Inkas when we visited the Museo Santuarios Andinos and saw the Juanita mummy.

We also spent one relaxed afternoon in the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. A colorful dream in red and blue and an oasis of tranquility right in the busy center of the city. Magical!

Relaxed greetings from Peru’s white city
Michael