Roaming South America

Mazamari, Perú

June 25, 2025

I'm in Mazamari, Perú, again. My first visit here was in February, 2023; my second visit wasJuly, 2023; and my third visit was in April 2024. I like this little nothing-special town. It's so little it has nosupermarket and a few ATMs. The town has three official parks and one green area alongside the river, which runsthrough the edge of town, which is only about five or six blocks from the town center.

This past weekend, Mazamari, Perú celebrated its 60th anniversary with four full days ofmusic, dancing, street parades, and beer-fueled tradition. I arrived one day late, but still caught plenty of theaction - horn bands blasting through the streets, dancers in colorful costumes, and entire neighborhoods sharing beerswhenever the unmistakable call of Chonguinada or Tunantada rang out. According to one young woman I spoke with, thosemusic styles are basically "beer songs". The bands will parade around town, one by one, through the neighborhoods, andstop to play in front of some houses. The people in the houses are supposed to come out and share beers with the bands.They continue all throughout the town. The weekend was loud, chaotic, and unforgettable. And quite interesting, to saythe least.

Huancavelica, Perú

June 22, 2025

I'm in Huancavelica, Perú. This place sits at 3,704 meters (12,093 feet). If I remember correctly, that's a bit higher than the peak of Mt. Hood, Oregon. My brain is suffering, dizzy, mild headache. When I lived in Arequipa, Perú (average 2,328 meters/7,638 feet), I felt this way every day for six months; it's not fun. It's also cold, this afternoon high was 17° C (63° F). I was told it's this temperature all year round. It might be high, it might be cold, but it is quite pretty in this narrow valley with the Mantaro River running through the center of town.

Uncertain about how long I'll stay in Arequipa

June 24, 2024

I arrived in Arequipa, Perú on April 23, 2024, and moved into an apartment on May 3. Today is June 24, so I have now been in Arequipa for 2 months and this is how I'm feeling—uncertain about staying for long. Yes, I signed a one-year contract for the apartment, but I'm finding it difficult to acclimate to this area. The problem? The altitude and the climate, both. The altitude here at my apartment is 2446 meters, which is 8026 feet. That's high, and all of my life prior to Arequipa I've always lived below 1000 meters, actually the prior high elevation was 960 meters (3150 feet), and that was only about a year-and-a-half. Tucson, AZ, where I lived for about 7 years is at 728 meters (2389 feet), and prior to there I was in the Seattle area, near sea level. So, with all that said, my body is not acclimating to the high altitude of Arequipa even at 2 months.

I'm settling in Arequipa, Perú

May 5, 2024

I am now settled into a 2-bedroom apartment in Arequipa, Perú. From both of the bedrooms is a view of Volcán Misti, or Misti Mountain, a dormant volcano. Very close by is the dormant volcano group called Volcán Chachani. Arequipa sits in a valley at an average of 2328 meters (7638 feet) above sea level. The lowest part of the city is 2,041 meters (6,696 ft) above sea level at the western side of the valley in the area called Huayco Uchumayo while the highest is located at 2,810 meters (9,220 ft) above sea level where the urban sprawl extends up the side of Misti. The Chili River splits the city center in half. The Chili River is fed from the nearby volcanos.

Finishing my journey in Arequipa, Perú

April 29, 2024

On October 30, 2022, I started a backpacking journey from Colombia south to Uruguay and then back north to Colombia. I wrote about it in several parts: part one was on March 25, 2023, part two was on April 24, 2023, part three was on July 26, and finally, on September 29 I summarized the journey. I then spent six months in Colombia before starting another backpacking journey south. But this second time I skipped over Ecuador. The problem was this: the government of Ecuador and the governments of several other countries including the US, Canada, England, and others, all discouraged foreigners from visiting Ecuador due to kidnappings, general crime, and so on. Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa announced a nationwide state of emergency and curfews due to the escaped Jose Adolfo Macias, alias Fito. He is the head of the powerful gang Los Choneros, and was in prison for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murder since 2011. He had been serving a 34-year sentence. So, things are not good in Ecuador these days. When I arrived at Tumbes, at the northern Ecuador/Colombia border, I got on a bus and headed directly to the southern border town of Huaquillas, and went directly into Perú. That was on March 9, 2024. I've been on the road for about two months now and have decided I will stop and look for a place to live here in Arequipa, Perú.