INFIERNO, entonces el cielo :)

So, let me just reminisce on my busride to Arequipa. (And here's a hint to all you readers out there. That short, concise sentence means that I am feeling an extreme emotion. Considering it is not followed by a trillion exclamation points or in capital letters, I would brace myself for a minor explosion, filled with lots of sarcasm, and dripping with disdain.) Well, let's see... Started off with the bus arriving an hour and a half later than expected, leaving me, Elena, my host mom, and 3 year old host brother sitting on the side of a highway in the DARK until it pulled up at 7:15 pm. We then proceeded to file into a bus CRAMMED full of pubescent teenage boys and girls (aged around 16), who REEKED, by the way, and were stuck in the BACKKK when a group of boys decided to rearrange themselves around Elena and I to get a better look. I'm sure you're proably thinking ¨Awe, golly gee, and shucks! That's cute¨. Let me tell you something buddy, my idea of a good NIGHTTIME bus ride does not include, 16 year old boys giggling at me, poking me when they think I am sleeping, screaming OTRA MUSICA to the front of the bus at 2 am in the morning. OH! ANNNNNDDDDDD, I'm sitting in the back of the bus, gathering more and MORE bruises on my knees being squished by the seat in front of me (being 5'8 and one of the tallest people Peruvians have ever met) while 4 16 year old girls are sitting in the front with NO seats to cause them any discomfort in front of them who could only have POSSIBLY been 5'1! So, yes, I'm a little bitter. Alright, a lot bitter. It some of the worst 10 hours of my life thus far.

Let me talk about this ¨OTRA MUSICA¨ nonsense... So, I, being extremely open to most kinds of music was quite excited to be immersed into another culture with completely different styles of music. Let me tell you right now, I might pick Chinese water torture for a week than listen to WAINU or reggaeton or anything of the sort. It is horrifying and of course, the cherry on top of my life, it was playing FULL BLAST the entire 10 hours of the NIGHTTIME bus ride to Arequipa...yep.

Once we got to Arequipa the tables started turning. The city reminds me of Rome, which makes me happy because Rome is very modern, but looks very classic. Arequipa is much of the same. The Plaza de Armas is gorgeous with a cathedral that takes up one entire block. The hostel Elena and I are staying at is only 3 blocks from the Plaza and is extremely cute (not to mention has free internet access for all guests 24 hours a day!). Oh, and Arequipa has a movie theatre. This may not seem like a big deal, but it IS. I have yet to encounter a movie theatre in all of my time in Peru and I have been to a few big cities during my stay. So anyway, watching New Moon in ENGLISH has brightened my day and I am happy to say that the bus incident has almosssstttt completely left my mind....mhmmmmm.

CIAO y BESOS.

By the way, tomorrow will be my ¨historical¨day in Arequipa so if you are reading this blog to learn about Peruvian culture rather than to hear my rants about my materialistic life, stayed tuned. I will try to be insightful.