The Art of Traveling

After visiting the amazing Santa Catalina Monastery this morning I was so full of impressions that I decided to spend the afternoon as "tranquilo" as possible and prepare for my next destinations. I bought a small backpack for 1-day hikes and a jacket against the cold and rain I fear I have to face in order to see the marvels of Macchu Picchu and Lake Titikaka. Later in the afternoon I went in search of the local post office to ship home some souvenirs I bought during the last days and which I didn´t want to carry all over South America. The lady at the post office was a model of inefficiency but after a lot of back and forth my hand woven wool blanket and knitted little llama are now on their way to France :-) Not to forget 10 GB of pictures ;-)

Next I wanted to get my bus ticket to Cusco which I had decided to change form the 15th to the 16th to spend two more nights in the Colca Canyon. On the way to the travel agency a very well assorted little book store caught my eye... and 10 minutes later I left with 100 soles less - and very happy, looking forward to hours and hours of happy reading!

The first book that caught my eye and immediately convinced me was "The art of traveling" (but in Spanish, mind you ;-)) on how to be happy while traveling. Even though I think I pretty much master the art of traveling this book still comes in handy ;-)

The second book I bought is "The pilgrim" by Paulo Coelho - a book I have wanted to read for a long time. Every journey is a pilgrimage - or can be one if you open your eyes and heart. So I guess this book is good travel literature, too.

The third book somehow jumped on me while I was already paying for the other two ones - Hiram Binghams account of the discovery of Macchu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. I guess reading this classic will make a big difference to my upcoming visit and will prove more valuable than going on one of the usual "mass rapid tours".

I spend a good part of the afternoon in the "Casa Verde Cafe" we discovered on our first day in Arequipa and then went in search of bus tickets to the Colca canyon. There a re a million of tour agencies in the historic center of Arequipa and I was a bit reluctant to enter one being afraid that they would want to sell me a all inclusive tour instead of just a bus ticket. I have heard so many accounts of aggressive guides and tourist traps in Peru that I was kind of expecting the worst - but should learn just another lesson of "The Art of Traveling".

A little travel agency called "Alpacactus" in calle Jerusalem had a sign outside saying that they sell bus tickets to Chivay and Cabanaconde in the Colca valley and I decided to try my luck. The girl at the counter, Rossio, about my age, was all smiles and very chatty so I was expecting to be confronted with some glossy leaflets on tours and hotels soon. But I was so wrong - she advised me to just book a bus ticket and then ask around in Cabanaconde for a local guide or someone who might like to show me around for a tip. She gave me heaps of information on the Colca canyon, on how to get there, what to bring, how to save money... She collected all the maps and brochures she could find in the office and recommend me a lot of lovely things you can do and see for free. She was so helpfull and nice I would have loved to book anything with her but she told me, it would be much cheaper to go to Cabanaconde and book it there with a local. She gave me one of her winning smiles and told me that I should not worry about spending much and that "it is all about conversation and interacting" - so true! I guess with all her good advise in mind I will have a great time in the Canyon.

I will leave tomorrow morning at 6am to arrive around noon and then spend the afternoon hiking or relaxing in the hot springs. On Friday I would love to see the condors and maybe spend another day in Chivay, capital of the Colca region. On Saturday I have to get back to Arequipa to take the night bus to Cusco.

Today definately was a day full of lessons on the "Art of Traveling" - and another step on my pilgrimige - to Macchu Picchu and to being happy :-) Can´t wait to get back to the hostel to enjoy my books - just have to decide where to begin! :-)