Getting High in Peru, Year 2: River Rafting in Arequipa

Getting High in Peru: River Rafting in Arequipa

Arrangements for the rafting trip were made by Katia Zegarra Casteneda 946780025 and through Norma at Quechua Exploring in Arequipa, Peru (Calle Jerusalem 508) Telef: (054) 282965

A new group of students are here in 2014 in Arequipa for five months for intensive language study. We do trips together and there is much to experience here in southern Peru. I am encouraging them to have three additional experiences, two of which the 2013 students and I did together last year, and a third, biking down Mt Chachani. Therefore, I am reposting the three blogs—one on biking [done], this one on rafting the Rio Chili, and in the near future climbing Mt Misti.

          I arranged a river rafting trip for us through Quechua Exploring on Arequipa’s Rio Chili (Cold). This is the river that flows through Arequipa, which the students and I see on a daily basis. As you will see from the pictures, the company provided us with wet suits, boots, jackets, life vests, and helmets. We took 4 x 4s upstream to the drop off point. The rafts were accompanied by kayaks as a safety factor, and there were other kayakers on the river, one of whom slammed into rocks, fell out, and had to be taken off the river. As it turned out, our raft saved his kayak and paddle, which could have gone downstream to the Pacific Ocean. 

            So, even though most of my blogs and two volumes focus on Archaeological Adventures in Peru, we did have other adventures. What was nice as well was that the students were joining by several “siblings” of their Peru families or their friends from the local university. 

We are outfitted and ready for action

Now we are at the location where we put into the Rio Chili

We are all smiles so far

This one above and now below are pictures Quechua Exploring took of us. I am not smiling on some of the pictures. Note the kayaker in the background here. He was there for our safety.

No smiles on my face—this was the first time for me.

Now my pictures take over again.

Mt. Chachani is in the back.

My pictures one above and now below: Some of the students will jump into the river from the rocks. Our raft was unable to do this since we passed this point to rescue a kayak and paddle.

Now nearing the end of the ride

We survived

Okay

All are happy we had no incident above and below

Mt Chachani, from the river--above 20,000 feet—will I climb Chachani in 2014?

 So, I trust that I have proved my point, there are exciting and challenging things to do right here in Arequipa. Let's do them in 2014. 

Paz y Shalom, Neal Bierling