Arequipeña Livin'

Arequipa's defining characteristic is the white igneous stone quarried from nearby volcano "El Misti" that is used in most of the beautiful colonial architecture of the city center. A huge cathedral spanning the length of one entire side of the enormous Plaza de Armas , collonades that wrap around the other three sides, intricately carved theater, bank, and municipal office facades, churches upon churches... one can understand why people here, according the Lonely Planet, say that "when the moon was separated from the Earth it left Arequipa behind."

Besides the white stone buildings everywhere, the second-most important feature of this city seems to be the ubiquitous tiny yellow taxi... from an informal census performed by yours truly yesterday afternoon, these taxis make up approximately 68.5% of all Arequipeña street traffic.

I've been here for 3 days now and am really enjoying new cultural subtleties, new cuisine in the market, new newspapers to read, new political struggles. Peru's an interesting place, especially with the looming presidential election showdown between Ollanta Humala and Alan Garcia - the city's abuzz with expectation about tonight's live debate in Lima and the election is now only about 1o days away... stay tuned!