Lone Ranger

Hello again everyone. I know it´s been some time, I´ve been waiting for Mina´s pictures and extra commentary just like you have. I´ve gotten word to expect it soon. After her departure, I hung out in Lima for a few days waiting for my camera to be fixed AGAIN. I met some cool Swedish guys my age staying at the hostel, Oscar, Marcus, and Carlos, so we went to the zoo and generally hung out. The night before the zoo though, I had this really vivid premonitional dream of getting eating alive by snakes and pumas, both of which I saw in the flesh the next day. Oogy boogey, I know. Anyways, the next day I went on my own to look for second-hand English novels but only managed to find the 1987 edition of the Guiness Book of World Records and The Hobbit among a bunch of romance crap. Did you know the fattest man ever lived on Bainbridge Island, right next to Seattle, and weighted like 1200 pounds? They treated him at UW Medical center, starved him basically for two years then he gained 200 lbs in two weeks immediately after being released. HAHA my god. But I digress.
So after that book hunt I went to Lima´s black market, which any normal shopper couldn´t tell apart from a proper shopping mall, I´m talking escalators and fountains and everything. Until you see the rock bottom prices and entire aisles devoted to not-so-wholesome viewing material. So there I picked up some much-needed CD´s and some black market Toblerone. Later that night these two German sisters who I volunteered with in Ayacucho randomly popped up in my hostel, completely unplanned, so we were happy to see each other and went out for some dindin.
The next day I caught a bus to Arequipa, which I´d seen already but seemed a good spot to split up the journey into Bolivia. And on the bus I got the entire front row on the second story, so I could lounge my little heart out and watch the road rush by underneath me.
Yesterday´s highlight around town was a steak and cheese sandwich which was unlike anything I´ve had this trip, and by the beard of Zeus, only two dollars. Today I went river rafting on the Rio Chili for about an hour and a half, passing Class I - Class IV rapids. Actually the Class IV was only for about two seconds plunging down a quasi-cliff, fun nonetheless. Kayaking is where it´s at though, there were a few kayaking next to our raft and they´re goin underwater, upside down, sideways, backwards, looked like loads of fun.
So...yeah! I got the rest of the sunny day to laze away in Arequipa then I´m headed thru Puno to La Paz. Should get there within a day or so, with a new bundle of adventures awaiting my arrival. Just thought I´d give y´all a dupdate. Lata