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Return to Arequipa

Maria and I took the night bus back to Arequipa from Ica.  We arrived early in the morning as is normal when taking a "night" bus.  I didn't know how long I would be in Arequipa before I ventured on to the next phase of my journey, but I knew my guidance would let me know.

I ended up staying in Arequipa until Wednesday, March 14th.  I spent my time living every day life.  I stayed with Mark for the first few days in my "old" third floor room on the roof until Therese left for Lima.  At that time, I moved over to Maria's house.  The time was full of growth and introspection while maintaining the requirements of life. 

Maria had been invited to the Elders Gathering of the Eagle and the Condor over the Fall/Spring equinox in March.  It was quite an honor to be invited to this gathering in Lake Titicaca.  She was to bring the feminine energy and fearlessness to a primarily male environment - not an easy task - so we spent quite a bit of time getting her ready for this event.  If you want to read more about this event or see some pictures, go to the following links: http://www.worldchanging.com/local/sanfrancisco/archives/005444.html and http://www.earthworksforhumanity.org/ 

"There is a myth of the reuniting of the Condor - the bird of the people of the south and the Eagle - the bird of the people of the North. Where the eagle represents the mind, the condor represents the heart. The coming together of these two worlds represents the opportunity to rekindle a fresh dream for humanity that blends the indigenous and modern worldviews."  The Inca prophecy says that:

"When the Eagle once again flies with the Condor,
a lasting peace will reign in the Americas
and will spread throughout the world to unite humanity."

What an opportunity for Maria!

One day, Maria and I took a hike along the Rio Chile from Carmen Alto.  This was in the farmland surrounding Arequipa.  It was a beautiful, sunny day!  We hiked by following the "path marked by blue" which led us on a fun and exciting adventure through fields and pastures.  We ran into several people doing their weekly laundry and bathing in the river; farmers watching their flocks of sheep, cows, donkeys and horses; and a young boy playing his saxophone while waiting to operate the irrigation gates.  The serenade was incredible as the sounds from his sax echoed along the river bed expecting to meet no human ears.  What a day!

Maria and I usually ended our day by creating a dinner theater.  We would make dinner and take it with us into the living room to watch a movie on Maria's computer.  It became the ritual - the Peruvian "dinner theater" - always a light movie with an underlying message which led to a great discussion.

Very quickly, my last day in Arequipa arrived.  Maria encouraged me to plan the day with all the things I wanted to do or see as my closing celebration.  We started the day at Cappricio's - our favorite coffee spot.  We had our usual cappachino con crema with our breakfast.  From there, we went to the Casona to say goodbye to Mark.  Then, onward to the Plaza de Armas to feed the pigeons. 

The Plaza de Armas in Arequipa was one of my favorite plazas in all my travels in Peru.  It was always full of people, vendors, tourists and pigeons ..... The people watching and pigeon feeding was always fabulous!  On this day, the pigeons were in prime form with lots of people and vendors supporting their cause.  There were the photographers, the children, the vendors selling bird seed, the artists......  What a day! 

Now, off to Cusco for the next leg of the adventure!

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