Sins Of The Flesh

I have been unable to post these past couple of days owing partly to my own suddenly poor state of health, inasmuch as I have a rather debilitating head cold. With Layne having surgery for two skin cancers my timing could not have been worse.

Happily all went well though they kept Layne in overnight just to make sure the wounds start healing properly. They were very thorough before during and after the skin cancer surgery at Clínica Florez in Arequipa. 

Rusty went looking for Layne when I came home to feed him but settled down patiently as I came and went during the operation Thursday evening. He is a good and patient dog. 

She should be home today and if needs be we can rent a room here for her at the campground’s hotel. I meanwhile am coughing and spluttering and slowly recovering. It’s been a bit rough one way and another.  

Cooking Class

Rusty and I walked Layne to her cooking class Monday morning. I have no patience for cooking so I do the washing up. I enjoy seeing clean plates appear in my hands from a soapy mess especially when we have unlimited water at a campground sink. 

Rusty took a long circuitous walk home and I followed on the end of his leash. Past the Chinese car dealership that has moved..,

And along the riverfront which we cannot actually access because there are walls everywhere. 

Another breezy hot perfect sunny day at the campground at Las Mercedes Hostel. A Kindle and a chair. 

Layne meanwhile was playing with fire. 

And producing piles of spicy Peruvian food, bell peppers stuffed with spicy ground beef…

And a pile of potato avocado and shrimp. She brought home samples and they were quite delicious. 

They also made Peruvian ceviche with the big soft corn called “choclo.”

21 Germans showed up all at once at the campground in a rolling hotel. They travel with bunk beds in the bus, cook their food and spend three weeks together. 

Layne got friendly with the leader/driver/cook who works twenty days on and twenty days off and said he might be organizing a trip to Ushuaia at the southernmost tip do he might see us there…the occupants were a mixture of all ages and quite friendly though they were gone in 36 hours.   

We left Rusty at home aboard GANNET2 and took a stroll into the Plaza de Armas, the main square, which was concealed by the Spanish as it was where they drilled their soldiers in public. Nowadays it’s where lovers and families and street food sellers gather. 

We bought some chicken tamales and some beef skewers with potato grilled on a  street corner. We take street food home for dinner many evenings. 

We aren’t alone in thinking Arequipa is the prettiest town in Peru. 

And at 7400 feet is quite breathable. 

There is a bar nearby called the Pisco Museum so after we collected some cash at the ATM we stopped by and tasted four different Piscos which is the national firewater of Peru. 

Pisco is a grape distillation which if it were French might be called brandy or if it were Italian, grappa. They grow eight different varieties of grapes in Peru and make brandy from all of them. It’s known as Pisco for no known reason, possibly from a Quechua word meaning “a pot” but it became known abroad because barrels of the stuff were exported to Spain from the port of Pisco which we drive past on the coast, and which has nothing to do with the actual production of the spirit. It’s a bit like Tupelo honey coming from Tupelo blooms and not from the Mississippi town of that name. Robert our guide:

Pisco is about 42% proof and I actually enjoyed it more than I appeared to. 

Then she told me to smile. 

This is a slightly perfumed sipping Pisco that I quite liked. 

And so home to bed. No worries walking Arequipa by night. 

Eating Arequipa

I will confess that getting out of bed in a 45 degree morning is not always easy. Our bed is very comfortable and with the duvet pulled up to my nose I can pretend it’s a toasty hot morning in Florida, except it isn’t and then Rusty starts. 

He yelps gently, demanding to be let out and the fact that he prefers to sleep inside on his bed gives you an idea how cold it is here. But that’s not enough so grumbling and muttering under my breath I take him down to the gate and ring the bell and wait for the buzzer that tells me the gate is unlocked by remote control.  Out we go to walk the neighborhood. 

Arequipa is actually quite a clean town, and I pick up after Rusty and there is a dumpster conveniently nearby. One thing I find extremely odd here is how barred and locked up everything is. People live in constant fear it feels like. The small stores aren’t always staffed and you have to call for service so someone can come out from the back. But even then you don’t get to go inside. I find it weird. This restaurant wasn’t yet open for service but it was barred and locked. 

After his walk Rusty was ready to recuperate. 

Later we left him aboard GANNET2  where he sleeps and feels safe and walked into town without him. 

Like I said Arequipa is pretty clean and this mess will eventually be cleaned up by city cleaners who can be seen wandering around town with brooms and shovels. 

Not everyone  loves their city and it’s a shame because this is a pretty old town. 

And this is a beautiful city. 

Imagine how I feel stepping past the poverty and indifference.  We keep handing out coins in an effort not feel so shitty but it doesn’t really work. 

Overlanding friends who cage before is recommended the 13 Monjas (“monks”). Cheesy Naan appetizers. 

Cheesy indeed with three sauces, tomato sauce for pasta, hummus, and a pineapple marmalade. 

I had grilled Arequipa sausage with a cucumber pickle. 

Layne had chicken masala and we shared each other’s. 

With drinks and mineral water I’d was about $50 and the check came in a book of poetry by a Spanish poet I’d never heard of but I have now. 

This is the only street in Arequipa where we have seen outside seating. 

For coffee we went to a roof top. 

The baristas were a fun bunch and produced an excellent flat white for me. 

It was pleasant there but the views weren’t anything to write home about. 

Our plan had been to visit the cloisters of St Catherine under the arch but it was Sunday and the lines was totally backed up so that tour got postponed. It’s supposed to be a really nice historic nunnery worth visiting. 

And so back home to a really happy dog ready to greet us. 

Waiting In Arequipa

Layne has an appointment today with a skin cancer surgeon. She has two small cancers that need to be removed, no big deal the doctor said they aren’t serious.

The big deal is that until we know the process and the timeline for the surgery and the recovery time we don’t know what we are doing next. We have a comfortable spot to wait and see before we finish up Peru by touring Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Lake Titicaca before we drive to Chile.

The other issue as ridiculous as it sounds is that I have to return to Florida before November. My drivers license expires October 31st and I can’t renew it online, as I did that last time and you can’t do that twice in a row. Silly me.

So I will be marching off to Miami sometime. I had planned to go from Lima but the campground there wasn’t pet friendly but here in Arequipa Layne would be fine by herself for a week so I shall probably fly to Lima and connect to Miami and rent a car to drive to Key West and stay with friends.

You know what they say about making lemonade from lemons so I shall probably be in Key West in mid September, the height of hurricane season if all goes well. Slightly weird but necessary.

In addition to getting a Cuban mix sandwich at Sandy’s I shall have to pick up our mail, get my International Driving Permit renewed, renew GANNET2’s registration and buy a suitcase to bring back all the loot Layne has been shipping from Amazon to our friends’ place in New Town. 

It’s funny really as lots of travelers from Europe go home in summer and our Canadian friends will be in British Columbia for September. I hate flying and being shuffled around but it’s extremely convenient to be able to afford the time and money to make this ridiculous journey. Plus I’ll get to see some people I have missed. I’m not complaining. 

Layne will be fine here for a week as it’s a short walk downtown, there’s a giant supermarket around the corner, the campground does laundry and Rusty is very happy sprawling in the sun. She’s also found some cooking classes she wants to take. 

I’m ready to be out of Peru and exploring Chile on our way to Ushuaia at the southernmost tip of the continent. We are trying to plan our arrival at the Beagle Channel in early December which is the beginning of summer so we have to keep an eye on our dawdling as it’s 3500 miles in a straight line and we drive anything except straight lines. There is so much to see. 

In the meantime we are seeing the sights, reading books and trying Peruvian cuisine. Not a bad life. Saturday we ate at a fish restaurant (and got to go boxes as usual).

The tangy bright soup tasting of fish and lime to start. And then we ordered a tasting tray, too vast by half of course. Seafood rice, ceviche, and fried fish. All delicious but we ate the ceviche and saved the rest for our fridge. 

Service was weird of course, rushed impatient and tense. This was at three in the afternoon. 

After it was over he was cheerful and sorry he spoke not much English. We gave a tip which as always shocked him. I wish there were more joy and less self consciousness in Peru as they seem so shy and ashamed at not speaking English. The food in Colombia is boring but the good cheer of the people makes up for it. Peruvian cuisine is fascinating but it’s hard to connect with Peruvians. 

We wandered and bought some chocolate. 

And tried some craft beer and planned our journey south. 

We also walked past a rabbit rescue where you can also groom and board your pet rabbit. I kid you not. Note the red US style barn, our culture permeates everywhere. 

Taking a trip? Board your bunny with us. My mind is blown. 

And the water trucks. Peru is a desert. 

Not a bad day for a couple of retirees was Saturday.