Arequipa

Copacabana, on the shores on Lake Titicaca, proved to be a very relaxing and cheap place to stay. Without intending to, we spent a week there taking walks along the lake, reading, drinking Bolivian coffee and eating Mexican food (yes, Mexican).



But all that free time gave me a lot of time to read the guidebook and a lot of time to start feeling guilty about not seeing more, so on Thursday we shoved off. We had a very easy border crossing into Peru and changed buses in Puno. We arrived in Arequipa just as the sun set -- a spectacular arrival, with the city glistening white under alpenglow and a line of 18,000 foot volcanoes, one of which puffs smoke occasionally, guarding the western horizon.



Arequipa is a beautiful if frenetic city. Much of the old city´s buildings are mde from distinctive white volcanic rock, and there are loads of old buildings and churches.

We spent two nights there and took a bus for Mollende, a beachtown 90 miles and 8,000 vertical feet away. Today we woke on the early side and went to Laguna Mejia, a national reserve about halfhour to the south. The reserve is a chain of lakes which is the only significant fresh water in a 1000 mile stretch of desert coast. The place is full of birds and despite the proximity to the equator is comfortably cool, thanks to the Humbolt Current. We walked down the chain of lakes and back on the beach, where men were out in the frigid water fishing for mussels and clams with nets. Tonight we´re going to have Pisco sours and ceviche and, of course, Inca Kola, the supersweet bubblegum soda which are are currently addicted to.