Paper cup, old tyre, plastic bottle

I'm not sure if it's that we've been in remote areas for a few weeks, but as we drive into Peru I'm staggered how much garbage is strewn everywhere. It's on the hillsides, in the valleys .... Basically all over the place outside of the city. Clearly the process is to pick up the garbage in town and just dump it outside town. Doesn't sound like a good strategy.

Our destination, Arequipa, is the second largest city in Peru. We didn't plan to go there, but it's on our way to Cusco and a handful of people we got chatting to on the bus from San Pedro de Atacama are stopping there as well. The city was such a pleasant surprise!

The city sits beneath Volcanoes over 5,900m in height and has one of the main attractions in Peru - Colca Canyon, the worlds deepest canyon - twice as deep as the Grand Canyon (we didn't visit this). Aside from plenty of things to do outdoors the city has a very European feel with interesting architecture, impressive plazas and great food - both multicultural and delicious!

We had a good few days in town enjoying our hotel with big colonial rooms and a great rooftop patio, catching up for drinks with Tess and her friend from Canberra who we met on the bus, visiting Juanita - a tiny frozen Incan mummy, eating our first Ceviche (the local specialty) at the local market, going back to the same restaurant twice for an amazing Alpaca steak served on Volcanic rock and finally climbing the Volcano - El Misti. More on that to come!

 I was not expecting to travel through a desert as we entered Peru, especially one with armored tanks, lots of garbage and a large solar array. I thought it would be all green and mountainous!

The staircase in our favourite restaurant in Arequipa, Zig Zags, was designed by Gustave Eiffel. This was much better than the second item we saw in Iquitos also designed by the great man....

The waitress decided that Nina was incapable of eating her Alpaca Steak on Volcanic stone without getting sauce all over herself.

I'm glad they make smiling, happy manequins to encourage you to buy clothes....

The very European feeling square of Arequipa.

 Nina happily lapping up the sun, prior to the deep cold required to preserve Juanita - the 12 year old Incan girl who was sacrificed and froze nicely on a nearby Volcano.

The sun shines on some local lads as they get set for the big parade.....for who knows what? Something religious and kind of weird.