Arequipa and the Colca Canion
Trip Start
Jun 15, 2008
1
23
25
Trip End
Aug 15, 2008
Arequipa,
Peru
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Before heading off to visit the nearby Colca Canion, we spent the first few days in a really nice hostel where we were very caringly looked after by the owner, Silvia, who is the sort of woman who can pinch your cheeks and call you cute without being in the least bit annoying (a VERY rare gift). On our first day there, in between trying to cook us variations of plates of corn and toasted sandwiches, she took us up onto the roof of the hostel from which there are amazing viewsof the Volcanoes. I´m not sure how it is that they become snow-peaked, the sun shines 360 days a year in Arequipa and we haven`t seen a cloud since being here, yet somehow one day they were brown and the next, white! Arequipa is mainly constructed from the rock from the volcanoes, which is white, and with the sun, makes the streets in Arequipa very nice to stroll through. Which is pretty much what we did for the first few days (this is after I slept for about 24 hours to catch up!). We also tried the local specialty, Queso Helado (frozen cheese) with cinnamon and coconut which is really yummy and plodded our way through a million and one alpaca shops which all sell exactly the same thing and yet can all be visited without boredom.
We also visited the beautiful Santa Catalina convent, which is like a mini town in the city, where the nuns lived in total seclusion for 390 years. You can see why they didn´t want anyone coming in: they probs wanted to hide the fact that their convent was a bit more like a luxury retreat: they all had their own little flats down beautiful very brightly painted orange, blue and red streets with fountains and private roof terraces (where Brig and I speculate a certain amount of sunbathing went on...). The convent was set up by this one nun who then hand picked the other nuns from rich families to come and live in her party-pad convent with all their servants and cooks and stuff. Then, later on, a new abbess took over and laid down the law, as did the local bishop who imposed such restrictions as "only 1 servant per nun". Party poopers.
After some lovely days in Arequipa, we headed off to the Colca Canion, which brig is currently bloggin about on the computer next to me, so I won´t talk about here. Was very nice though.
Tonight, we are getting a nightbus to Nazca, to hopefully see the lines tomorrow, weather allowing, then its onwards to Lima then home. Home involves a 6 hour flight, then a 6 hour wait in Altanta and then a 7 hour flight. Not fun. afterwards, Brig and I are heading separate ways, me to corwall and Brig, to watch the Olympics solidly for 4 days. I´m not sure I´v ever seen Imo so excited: she keeps spewing out facts about all the athletes and gets this giddy/glazed look in her eyes when she talks about running distances and medal predictions and stuff, and clearly doesn´t understand how I will be coping with no TV in cornwall...
see everyone soon eeee lots of love and BBBB
xxxxxxxxxxx
PS: maman, re meal when I get back, chicken/bread sauce sounds perfect, and Alexander, I appreciate self sacrifice in offers of Shepheards pie. Did Sam write that from your joint travel pod account as some sort of Sabotage?
Hope the rain stops by the time I get there.... x
