COUNTRY: Peru
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Construction
WRITTEN BY: Stephanie Rainbow
Hola,
Today marks less than two weeks until the end of the trip, and for me the time has flown by. Last week we travelled 9 hours by bus to the city of Arequipa for Jamie's birthday. Despite the bus being first class in terms of the actual bus, it's still a long time to be on a bus. When we arrived at 'The Wild Rover' I was relieved to find that the beds were super comfy.
On the way into the city, Arequipa quite honestly looked like a dump; dodgy neighbourhoods with sand and dirt billowing everywhere. Thankfully, however, the town centre itself was picturesque, despite the hundreds of pigeons that occupied it. The food at the hostel was delicious and cheap, and we spent the day lazing by the tiny pool that sat beside the day bar.
The next day was Jamie's birthday, and after a late start we took taxies to go go-carting, where everyone's competitive streaks came to light. I myself was as slow as an old lady and I just tried not to die as everyone overtook me! With no helmets, and little to no safety measures everyone was a little more cautious than they usually would be but despite this we had heaps of fun.
The girls then proceeded to go to a local salon to get manicures and pedicures; after Machu Picchu my feet definitely needed it and I felt very sorry for the lady who was scrubbing my feet!
The hostel we were staying at was in fact a 'party hostel' and so that night we celebrated Jamie's birthday by doing just that- it was a very fun night. The next morning marked the beginning of Halloween. We trekked through copious amounts of costume stalls, where I bought tigger ears and Nick bought a superman costume. Those of the group who did end up venturing outside reported that it was crazy and they even saw a tank. Go figure.
The morning brought with it a day bar full of drunken staff who were doing shots while they served me. Good service right? It then turned into a pool party and I retreated to the dorm to prevent my clothes from getting even more wet. That day marked the end of my trip to Arequipa as Liz, Bridget and I were leaving early in the hopes that we wouldn't be exhausted on Monday. So with a visit to a crepe shop which was incredibly delicious, it was back on the bus.
We have since begun replacing the roof of a greenhouse for one of the village ladies, and spent the day painting', which the kids were more than eager to get involved with.
While we were at Arequipa it was November 1st, 'The Day of the Dead' which is celebrated in Peru by making dolls and horses out of bread. Before we left we made these special loaves for the children of the school and spent the day in the kitchen/ wood fire oven making them; I quite honestly don't know how the children ate it all, as I was full after the first bite. Tonight we are planning to have dinner at Chillies, which is a restaurant that serves their deserts in mini fry pans.
I can't imagine what it will be like when we leave here and everyone is preparing for the various trips that they are doing afterwards. It will be weird going somewhere where I actually speak the language! Although I doubt it will be as exciting as it is here.
So until next time,
Adios.
No comments:
Post a Comment