After spending about 4 weeks learning Spanish in Arequipa, Peru last winter (or was it summer since I was in the Southern Hemisphere?), I went from not a word in Spanish to being able to read, write, and speak slowly with the assistance of a dictionary. I chose Arequipa instead of the better known cities such as Cusco and Lima because I wanted to get away from the tourist traps and see how people really lives in Peru. Everything in Cusco is at least twice as expensive as it is in Arequipa. People in Cusco can tell I am a tourist in a heartbeat but in Arequipa, I blend in with the locals unless I open my mouth. In my opinion, Arequeña tastes just as good as Cusqueña.
You can find many larger Spanish schools on the web but I ultimately chose a small school runs by Maria from Llama Education. She is also a tour organizer and can help you make travel arrangement. Maria and I have become friends and her daughters are just too adorable.
If you want to go horseback riding on the cheap, get in touch with my friend Anibal who is a vet and owns a couple horses.
