Lazy Days in Arequipa
Trip Start
Jun 12, 2008
1
12
28
Trip End
Nov 20, 2008
Arequipa,
Peru
Friday, August 8, 2008
The main Plaza de Armas was really beautiful so we went up onto one of the balconies overlooking the Plaza and the Cathedral for breakfast. Later that morning we met up with our friends Matt and Tessa from the Inca Trail, who were also staying in our hostel and caught up over lunch (meat, potatoes and veg for 50p each!) The weather in Arequipa is lovely, every day was hot and sunny and not too cold at night. We all decided to spend the afternoon on the roof terrace at the hostel. We could relax in the sun with our books and enjoy the spectacular views of the city and the surrounding mountains and Misti Volcano
Plaza San Fransisco
.The next day we headed to the museum where we could see Juanita, the Ice Maiden. Juanita was a young Inca girl who was sacrificied to appease the mountain gods (a volcano that was getting a little too active for the Incas liking). In 1995 she was rediscovered after some volcanic activity caused the ice around her to melt. We saw a really interesting video about Juanitaīs last journey and her rediscovery. The poor girl was probably 13 and walked all the way from Cusco to Arequipa and up a huge mountain. She was then given a halluncinagenic drink to calm her and then battered round the head. We were given a tour around the museum to see the artifacts that were found with her and other children who were sacrificed. We then saw Juanita herself, all curled up in her freezer. She was tiny, and because she froze so quickly after she died she was really intact...skin and everything. Our guide was saying that because she froze so quickly it was like she was almost still alive...well, apart from the fact that she was brutally murdered!
While in Arequipa we also visited the amazing Santa Catalina Convent (although I stupidly forgot my camera, sorry!) This was a huge complex that is basically a city within a city. When it first opened the convent only took people from the richest spanish families and the nuns continued to live in the manner in which they were used to
Main Plaza
. We wandered around lots of courtyards and streets and could look inside the cells where the nuns lived and see all their furniture and books. It was a beautiful, tranquil place and all the walls were painted in bright orange, blues and reds. It didnīt feel like it, but we walked around there for hours. Unfortunately, not long after that Dom wasnīt very well for a few days so we took it easy and read and watched the Olympics for most of the time. One day Dom was in bed for the whole day so I decided to venture out on my own for a wander and lunch. I nearly turned back after 2 minutes because I was getting whistles, shouts, kisses blown at me and, bizarrely, hissing, from all the men. When Iīm with Dom I get no hassle at all but the moment he is gone itīs very different. I know Iīm supposed to see it as a compliment but itīs a bit much sometimes...one guy was old enough to be my Grandpa! I couldnīt see a wig shop to hide my blonde hair so basically ran to the cathedral...where I even got whistled at, not by a priest I hasten to add! The cathedral was ok, but it was quite modern and very peach. After that I went out to find a restaurant...more hassle...but this time it was from the waiters who were determined to get me into their restaurant. I had so many offers of free drinks that I could have got myself very drunk if I had wanted to. I finally settled on a restaurant that had a lovely roof terrace and was a nice calm place to eat and read my book away from the chaos of the city below
Main Plaza2
!Once Dom was better we had a final wander round Arequipa and found a street that only had cake shops! It was amazing, they were the biggest cakes I have ever seen!
We then decided to head straight for Bolivia rather than spend any longer in Peru. Peru is nice but itīs so touristy I felt that we never found the real Peru. Other travellers had told us great stories about Bolivia so we decided it was time to go and see for ourselves. There would be one final stop, Puno, by Lake Titicaca and the last main stop before the border.
