Time To Leave AK and Go To...Peru!

In March David and I started talking, in earnest, about where would would next like to live.  Viet Nam and Peru were high on the list and David began looking for jobs in each place.  After about a month and a half he received a wonderful job offer from a large international engineering firm, Golder, that has an office in Peru and is about to open an office in Arequipa, just the place we want to live.

Well, things moved along, and all of a sudden it was time for both of us to leave our jobs, and start planning the big move.  David's company, Design Alaska gave him a lunch barbecue, and RAP had a pot luck at Terry Chapin's house during which I received a lovely Alaskan art necklace and earrings crated by a local artist from Terry and Gary.

                       

  Unfortunately, I could not go to David's party since I was in DC for a conference.  From there I went to Philly and met David for Meadow's graduation (I cannot believe it!) an then ON TO PERU for a meeting with David's new company and a look around Arequipa!

We were lucky enough to be able to stay in the same hotel and the same room that we did the first time we visited Arequipa, 10 years ago.  That is because Rafael, the head of the Peru office and David's contact, had asked his friend Alvero, who lives in Arequipa to help us and he made the hotel reservations for us and had his sister Eliana and her husband pick us up at the airport. Here I am with Eliana.

This trip was quite different from the first time because we were not looking through "tourist" eyes, and because we had such lovely folks to take us around.  Eliana meet us the first morning and had done a lot of apartment research and we spent the day looking at an apartment, neighborhoods, markets and malls.  All of this gave me a great idea of what to pack and what to expect.  Here are David an me sitting with a giant Eckeko, the good luck symbol in Peru at a store owned by the company for which Eliana works.

The apartment that Eliana took us to was quite lovely and we have asked the real estate agent to speak with the owner about our renting it.  I hope it all works out because it is lovely Here is the front. and here is the view from the large bay windows Arequipa is surrounded by 3 volcanic peaks, Misti, which is pictured here, Pichu Pichu and Chichamore and make the scenery in this very busy city quite lovely.  The mountains, combined with many plazas and parks really help to tone down the hustle and bustle of a busy city of over 1 million people.

Here is a nighttime  view from our rooftop hotel room which was very unusual, almost like a penthouse since we were alone on the roof and the bathroom was a separate room outside our bedroom.        The only downside was that we were next to a bistro and Arequipa really swings, loudly, from about 10:00 pm to 2:00 am!

Eating out was a real treat, and since we think about food a great deal, we were in heaven.  Alvaro took us for ceviche, which we learned is only eaten in the early afternoon. and what a treat!  Then we were on our own for one dinner an we went to what we later found out was a high-end restaurant.  Yummy!   David's salad  and my dessert.

Originally David had said we would buy a car when we got to Arequipa, but one ride from the airport was enough to convince him that neither of us were brave enough to drive.Many many little tiny cobble streets, many, many little tiny taxis and big cars too...no traffic lights and seemingly no rules!!!  Let's hear it for hiring drivers and taxis.

Eliana took us to the oldest market in Arequipa and we were just amazed at the size and quantity of the fruits.  We have vowed to become fruit-it-arians!      

  

  And of course there is the meat:         

 

We went to Lima for two days so David could meet his new employer and we also had time to take a tour of two churches.  The first one had a catacombs (but we couldn't take photos) of 27,000 bodies....lots of bones and the most beautiful alters we have ever seen.    

      

       

      



Our trip home was very long and I was glad to arrive in Fairbanks, but I am now so ready to move to Peru. We had a fantastic time; Eliana and her husband Luise, Alvaro and his partner Robert were so wonderful to us and spent so much time with us in Arequipa and made us so welcome and then in Lima David was so welcomed by Golder and Rafael that we are sure we will have a great time.