June 19th - Arequipa at last

Hello from sunny Arequipa. Yes, I've made it to my temporary destination of choice and have settled in to my cozy hotel room. It's early in the day for a blog, but I'm not sure what the afternoon will hold, so I thought I'd get it in now.

In my blog from yesterday, I neglected to mention that I shared my breakfast table with a fun couple from Iowa, Mike and Anne, and their travelling companion Jason, from Minnesota. They are on a semi-guided tour. Semi because their guides seem to drop them off and pick them up, but rarely tell them what happens in between or how the next leg of the journey will begin. It's a bit of an adventure in faith, but it seems to be going all right for them so far. We bumped into each other a few more times over the course of the day, as we were all running in and out of the same hotel and tour agency. Anyway, after my bleary eyed blog writing yesterday, I was looking for a place to grab some dinner, and I walked into a restaurant to hear people calling my name and gesturing to the empty chair at the table. I can't tell you how nice it is to be recognized in a faraway place, especially when you're at your limit with translating every word. The trio from breakfast had been joined by Carrie and Kelly from Toronto, and all 6 of us were on the night bus to Arequipa together, so we chatted it up and had a good old time with pisco sours and stories flowing. On arrival in Arequipa, we exchanged e-mail addresses and said our goodbyes, but I have a feeling we'll bump into each other again.

My room here is tiny, and it will be interesting to share it for three weeks. I did some rearranging of the furniture, which helped a bit. We'll soon see how it really works when my roomie arrives.

After unpacking, a hot shower (hallelujah), and rearranging, I set out to find a late breakfast. I girl on the street handed me a flier as I walked past her doorway, and I took it, which is unusual for me. A few steps later, having read it, I turned around and headed in for my breakfast. She was working at a café which is dedicated to raising money for a program called Casa Verde, which cares for abandoned children and teens in Arequipa. It was a lovely little place, and their program sounds really good - besides offering food, housing, and education, they provide life skills training for teens and mothers, an outlet for artisan sales, and a little 'german' cafe, which is where I found myself. Nothing like good food for a good price for a good cause, hm? I'm sure I'll be back many times while I'm in town.

But for now, the day is young and I'm off to explore Arequipa.

Hasta mañana.

Karen

p.s. Happy Father's Day Dad!