This morning I went on a tour of the Silar Route – silar is the white sandstone that many of Arequipa’s buildings are made out of. The tour started with a stop at a viewpoint where we had good views of the two volcanoes – Misti and Chachani – that loom above the town.

We then visited two quarries which the locals refer to as “the Peruvian Petra”. Having been to Petra a number of years ago I can’t say these were anywhere near in the same league but I could see why the Peruvians would seek to draw the comparison. It certainly pulls in the tourists who particularly seem to enjoy clambering over and posing with the stone animal statues.

I was the only “gringa” in the group, so when the tour guide first launched, in Spanish, into his spiel as we drove out of Arequipa, I did wonder if any English translation would be forthcoming or if I would just have to try to follow as best I could. I needn’t have worried – Miguel (or Mike as he introduced himself) took great pains to repeat most of what he was saying directly to me in very good English. Once he realised I do have a very basic grasp of Spanish he took to asking me on occasion “did you get that or must I translate?” and then I would tell him what I’d understood and he would fill in any gaps.

The weather in Arequipa is absolutely sweltering! At one point Mike was explaining how Arequipa has a dry climate as opposed to Lima which is very humid – I can certainly attest to that! The evening I arrived in Lima I had quickly washed the T-shirt, pants and socks that I’d worn on the flight over, hanging them up in the room and assuming that as I was there for 2 nights, they would have ample time to dry. Well they didn’t! By the time I left Lima the T-shirt was still slightly damp and I had taken to drying the socks and pants with the hairdryer as they just were not drying out at all! In Arequipa, any clothing I wash tends to dry in 2-3 hours max – and there is certainly no need for a hairdryer!

Lunch today was a simpler affair than the last couple of days – delicious empanadas and cappuccino at the Lautrec Cafe that I’d spotted yesterday. The waiter pointed out that the artwork on my cappuccino was Pac-Man!

He was lovely and friendly, giving me the Wi-Fi password and not hassling me to pay up and leave once I’d finished my food and drink. Ideal as I was in the mood for just sitting for a while and planning out my bus transfer to Cabanaconde (for Colca Canyon) tomorrow – with possible departures at 4.30 and 12.30, prior to arrival in Arequipa I had been planning to book the civilised 12.30 bus but a combination of the heat, the traffic and the fact I’m still a bit jet lagged so waking up very early anyway, I’ve gone for the 4.30 booking. So it’ll be a very early start – but apparently the scenery on the drive is worth staying awake for!