Arequipa A – Volcanic rock upon the Valley

white architecture for a colorful world

Arequipa is a city in the Peruvian southwest in a valley in the north of Atacama’s desert. It was relatively a new city founded during the Inca Empire. After that Spaniards came and change the name misspelling it to its actual shape. Probably meant originally their location related to Misti volcano. I believe it could be a signal that it was a city planned to the future so its name could mean more something like place of tomorrow.

Mountains

There are three important mountains that are seen from the city: Chachani, Misti and Pichu Pichu. I climbed the last of them… but that’s a post for another day.

speaking to u (Chachani)

snow covering Misti

wake up, Pichu Pichu

 

Volcanic rock

This is the most western city upon Peru, as native that means that I feel a bit foreigner in that city. I don’t understand the raison d’être about certain foods and traditions, but if you are from Europe I think you could feel this city closer to you. Mostly my friends there, just a few, are from the old families, mostly the population now has a great percentage of sons and daughters of newcomers and to prove their new identity can be a bit harsh with people from other cities. I went there because studies, if I would know about that characteristic I think I would chosen another city.

The city is built with white volcanic rock. In colonial times it was painted with a lot of happy colors but in twentieth century a mayor decided to let the city with white walls; what could be a terrible mistake because the Sun is strong. It’s the city with the second world strongest solar radiation after Cairo.

let me protect you, madame

doubts

hacedor de sombras

business meeting

blue night

But there is a revival to recover colors:

shades of vermillion

two brothers

Red Paint under Blue Midday

absence

Among the merits Arequipa could shine in two: it’s probably the cleanest city in Peru, that because the people take care of the city; the second one is the cultural activity is powerful and there are artists and thinkers in several fields.

Upon the valley

Arequipa is a city whose economics are strongly linked to the agribusiness so the countryside is in the center of the city, omnipresent.

infinite green for two friends

spots

bow my branches to the sound of the water

Chachani (ghost in the sunset)

And that would be all for today, hope you find something interesting ;-)

Tuturutu

Highway to Tacna

ensoñación

 

It’s the continuation from the travel across Moquegua. They are just a few vistas from the bus. The kamanchaca (sea fog) was behind and there was a sunny day in the Valley of Moquegua (the real name could be Mokehua or Mokihua).

This starts in Moquegua’s bus terminal.

“S”

grid

patches

Moquegua has a strange landscape. It seems like there would be a mystery in those hills.

human advance

scale

almost touching your hand

electric ascension

modern monument

Road To Capua River

 

Time ago a classmate from Arequipa invite me to go to Capua Waterfalls, this is near Yura in the Southwest of Perú. They aren’t amazing or big waterfalls, but the path give time to talk and walk under the sun of the desert. It was a pity that she injured a foot. I was experimenting with the camera, an Olympus bridge with small sensor, so you are going to see images stitched with empty spaces and perhaps photographs that could be better, but I like them so I don’t worry so much. After see the limitations in resolution and functions I decided to go with a better camera, and the Olympus was very good.

The Olympus is so good that even with malfunction as is was in that time and today took good images.

endure the time

In those times I was trying digital filters, today I don’t do much of that anymore, I feel them as distractions.

someone observing all

textures of green

Triptych

orange energy

circle and triangle

between light and shadow a blue road

Naturally I took several photos of her, and to her, not for the blog, for that reason I’m just posting two of those because she is not recognizable and weren’t posed but composed by me.

I have to see

fractal organism

lines and dots

sprawled gold

oblation to blind blue heaven

the mysterious field of wild strawberries

toy trees

loneliness

grades of shades

soft surface

v

streaming

primitive eye

there is no path just ur feet

nature in movement

fearful waterfall

let’s sleep

perdurable fluir

piedra negra

Arachne

frozen fire

And that’s Capua, certainly it’s a small place but in there is no place where there isn’t nothing to be recorded. It’s incredible to me how can live people there under a Sun so strong, but then again to them is incredible that I can walk with light clothes in my city that to them has a very cold weather.

Also was great to find spots with so much green:

Green firmament of leaves