Arequipa

                       I came to Arequipa to do a day trip of the Colca Canyon, but what I found was myself being much more open to experiences with the local people. I arrived in Arequipa just after 4 am so I decided that I would take it easy the first day. The only thing I planned for myself was a late afternoon walking tour.
                      In the afternoon, I asked the owner and tour operator of my hostel about the Colca Canyon and where I could get a memory card. Unexpectedly, he took me to a local place to get a memory card so that I wouldn´t be over charged and then we went together for a set menu lunch. Partly, I think he did this because he thought I was 19 (it actually was assumed twice that day! Here´s to looking young:)) and partly it was because that´s how Peruvian people are. Normally, I wouldn´t have accepted this offer had it been a random on the street, but because he was the hostel owner it was fine.
                     Over lunch, we had a discussion about how different Peruvian people are than Westerners and an offer to a stranger to go to lunch like that was perfectly normal. No one is so tied to a fix schedule that they can´t be spontaneous. People greet you with a warm embrace or a handshake or some subtle form of touch as if they´ve know you forever and not just five minutes. It is a huge cultural difference and it is one that I hadn´t taken the time to fully recognize or embrace until I had the conversation with him.
                    This actually led to me sitting in the plaza the next day and accepting an offer from a stranger to go to an art gallery around the corner. Unfortunately, I had already seen the art gallery on my walking tour the day before. However, Oscar was determined to show me something that I hadn´t seen within his city. We ended up crossing the bridge and going over to the old side of town where you get an excellent view of the new parts of Arequipa. It was really cool having someone whose a local show me around simply because he had some free time on his hands. The idea is something that I definitely want to take back to Canada with me. 
                  After we went our separate ways, I went to Santa Catalina monastery. The monastery used to operate like a little city within a city and was fascinating to walk through. It is painted in a terrcotta red and then a dark royal blue and the contrast is stunning. I got some really nice photos. Plus, at the viewpoint, I got to see a glimpse of Misti Mountain in the distance!