PERU
Country Overview:
"Arequipa, the white city of Peru and the gateway to the Colca Canyon, offers travelers a unique blend of history, culture, and natural beauty."
Located in the heart of southern Peru, Arequipa is a city that showcases the best of what the country has to offer. From its stunning colonial architecture and rich cultural heritage, to its beautiful natural surroundings and delicious cuisine, Arequipa has something for everyone. Arequipa is a hidden gem — it's a place where you can experience the very best of Peruvian culture and history, all while enjoying the beauty of the Andes mountains and the Colca Canyon. Whether you're looking to explore the city's historic center, sample its delicious cuisine, or simply relax in its peaceful surroundings, Arequipa should definitely be on your travel list.
I lived in Arequipa, Peru from September 2011 to November 2012. I taught English, practiced Muay Thai, and got really into learning Peruvian slang. I also visited Lima, Cuzco, Colca Canyon, and Playa Mollendo.
And this is the infamous owner / freelance equipment builder of my gym. Here you can see he’s hard at work constructing god knows what, most certainly about to ask me to try it out. Well shucks, I’m flattered.
Who knew the 71 year old owner of my gym was a die hard Mariners fan? I wonder if he gets as frustrated as my WA state friend’s do when the M’s choke… Probably.
Speaking of which, due to ‘financial restrictions’, my gym owner seems to think he is perfectly capable of welding random pieces of metal together to recreate pictures of machines taken off the internet. Of course, I’m the guinea pig and with a frantic waving of his arms and a complete disregard to my forlorn look, I hop on his “machine” and give it a whirl. Although 1 or 2 have worked, I’m usually diving out of the way of crashing metal as I give him an “I told you so” look. Like a mad scientist, he grabs the parts, hauls them outside, and fires up the torch in an attempt to mimic the “oh so favorable” American weight machines. As I glance outside he turns around and gives me that “I’ll get it this time” look, although I’m sure we both know what we can expect the outcome to be.
Although my gym is called “Gimnasio de Oro”, it’s not quite the same as a Gold’s Gym in the states. It’s small, dirty, the weights are rusty, and the owner is quirky; but I love it. Did I use the semicolon correctly?
Getting ready for my Portuguese class by writing down what I ‘think’ the lyrics are to a Portuguese song. I’m looking at what I’ve written wondering if these words even exist in any language. Ya, upon second glance, I’m pretty sure I’ve just written the equivalent of kindergarten scribble. My teacher loves me. Até logo!
I love this heavy bag. I’ll be splitting the cost with the 70 year old gym owner for a double end boxing bag and can’t wait to get started on that. Nothing quite like punching a bag to relieve the stress of every Peruvian student misspelling ‘beautiful’ & 'quiet’ in each and every piece of writing.
So there I was in a Peruvian taxi...
Cabbie:Hey you workout here in Peru?
Me:Yeah
Cabbie:Me too! You know where I could get some steroids?
Me:Uh, not exactly. What do you want steroids for?
Cabbie:So I can be big like Arnold Schwarzenegger
Me:Ambitious. And on that note, if you could just stop right here that'd be great...
Super Bowl in spanish was interesting to say the least. Lacking of course were American commercials. A bit awkward to snap a pic of some kid on the street, but he was looking fresh in that Peru jacket. Kid in the white was at the gym today showing me how to work the bum treadmill. It’s a piece of rubber around a bunch of metal tubes, real classy gym equipment here in Arequipa. But what Peru lacks in gym quality, they make up for in empanadas, which are outstanding if you haven’t tried them.