Getting to Peru

So, when we finally left Arica we let out a great sigh of relief. We were sunburned, bored and a little poorer than anticipated, but we were on our way to Peru, so we had more pressing issues to concern ourselves with. We decided to take taxi into Peru instead of a bus, train or collectivo, and I would recommend others to do the same if given the option. Although it wasn't cheap (about $25), we were in and out of Peruvian customs in about 10 minutes. The cab driver took care of virtually everything. We simply had to walk through a room where they were supposed to X-ray our luggage, but of course the machine was broken (and didn't look like it had worked in years) so they waved us through without even stopping. The longest part was our driver having to wait in line to get some receipt for crossing the border, which gave us some time to look at the bleak surroundings. Much like Arica, the landscape was incredibly barren. Virtually no plants anywhere, just large, brown mesas and the occasional stone fence.

The taxi took us as far as Tacna, the first real town on the Peruvian side of the border. We had read that pickpocketing was a serious problem here so we were a bit on edge. The place was pretty mad - far to crowded with people trying to sell you go knows what. We were asked to check our luggage bu then observed how random people were accidentally wandering in and out of the holding area because they thought it was an exit, so we decided to hold onto the bags until the bus left, which was soon enough. We thought it would be a good idea to wait where the bus would be exiting from, but were stopped on the way outside and asked for our exit tax receipt. Now of course we smelled scam and argued for about a minute that we already had our tickets, we were just waiting for the bus, etc. etc., but it turns out they weren't trying to pull one over on us. In fact if you are traveling in Peru by bus or plane, you always have to pay an exit tax, which means finding the booth, which can be difficult, presenting you ticket an paying some random sum of money. You cannot leave until you do so and no one ever tells you this until you are trying to board.

So we finally got underway to Arequipa, known as the white city for the white volcanic rock that many of the colonial buildings are made from. It was our last major bus ride of the trip (minus tours) so we're pretty anxious to get it over with, which of course means that it takes two hours longer than it was supposed to, mainly because the Peruvian police stopped the bus twice and made us wait for a good 45 minutes for no apparent reason. We kept expecting to see some better landscape, but we just simply went further and further into the mountain with no real variety the entire way. Nothing but brown for miles. And lots of really strange plots of land - near any sort of settlement for a couple of miles entering and leaving, you would see stone walls clearly marking a plot of land and there would be a small structure in the middle. Most of these plots were about 50 feet by 50 feet and there were no signs of anyone even having lived there are all, not that the structures were large enough to live in. In fact most of the structures were in some state of collapse. We had no idea why these plots were here, cause there was no water or electricity for miles. Just lots and lots of dirt. And rocks.

We were definitely a bit apprehensive about getting to Arequipa as so far our time in Peru hadn't been a whole lot of fun, and on the busride I think we had both thought a little too much about the horror stories of tourist getting mugged, kidnapped, etc. Once we got to the bus station we had to take a cab, which filled us with dread. Seemingly everywhere you go in Peru there are signs warning you to not take solicited cab rides, but when we got to the bus station, the conductor on the bus assured us that the cabs would be OK and even walked us out to the pick up spot and we had little problem. Just cause you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. So we made it to the hotel without incident.

We're back!

We are back in SF. I'll have the wrap-up of Peru posted this weekend and should have photos and video to boot. Stay tuned.