As Ali sees it: Stalker in Arequipa, Peru

Sunday 21 March 2010

Stalker in Arequipa, Peru

12-16 March, 2010
Areqipa, Peru.

Arequipa is a beautiful city. The main plaza´s beauty struck me the moment I saw it, and on clear days (it wasn´t when I arrived) you can also see that it has a back drop of beautiful mountains. Also, having been in the highlands, I was enjoying having oxygen again!

On arrival, I immediately set about finding a 2 day hike tour in Colca Canyon. When I walked down the street, a Peruvian man stopped me to talk. "What was I looking for?" He asked... "Nothing", I said, "just passing time". "Oh". Then he came too. I dismissed him by saying I wanted to find a tour. He left me be! Then I booked the tour, and stepped out of the tour office to find him again. "Let´s go have a drink", he offered. "No, actually I have 1 hour to visit the monastry", I replied. "Ok" he said, and followed me to the monastery. I paid and went in, he didn´t. Released again! After the monastery I dawdled in and out of shops in the direction of the plaza, one block and he was there again! I agreed to his company over dinner, nothing more, I was going on a trekking tour at 3am in the morning!.

I returned from the trek 2days later, went out with the tour group for drinks and who should turn up but the same guy, surely my stalker! But I stuck with the group. (Another story).

He (Ricardo) said he was from Lima, but I actually think I won´t run into him there.... I think he´s a tourist hassler. For what reason I mightn´t need to know.

The Monastery in Arequipa is a village inside a city, it had everything. The nuns lived here in a vow of seclusion, now there aren´t so many and they occupy just a small section in the back corner. This is the laundry.