Arequipa

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Arequipa! 

Friday night was our last evening in Lima and I was in need of a good night sleep. I definitely found myself getting very grumpy after two nights of on and off naps. The minute I hit the pillow I was out and I even think I woke up in the same position that I fell asleep in. Waking up a bit disoriented but refreshed it was necessary to hit up the bank before heading to Arequipa. 

A quick goodbye to Tony and we set off for the airport; this time in a  rickety green Subaru with seat belts that no longer retract. Nearly getting into one severe sideswipe, Michelle and I were relieved to make it in one piece to our terminal. 

To our surprise we entered the terminal to see a sea of impatiently waiting passengers. The chanting of passengers flying to Cusco made for an interesting experience. (Apparently, Cusco airport was no longer accepting flights for the day) Good thing we boarded before riots started. Interestingly, Peruvian Airways has a different protocol for boarding. Lets see how many passengers we can stuff in a bus to taxi to the plane? I can tell from experience... a lot! While waiting to take off, Michelle and I met a few Americans who were able to give us some insight to the best places to travel. (Fortunately for us, we learned that there are strikes in Puno, therefore, unfortunately our trip to Lake Titicaca is postponed for the next time in Peru). This will give us more time in Cusco and the Sacred Valley where there appears to be plenty of activities to keep travelers busy for weeks. 

After a little delay, Michelle and I finally arrived to Arequipa and immediately fell in love. Our hotel, Sonesta Posadas del Inca,  is perfectly located on the Plaza de Armas with a wonderful view of El Misti Volcano. (Also equipped with sufficient wifi). Many of the colonial buildings, cathedrals, monasteries and mansions are all built with an off white volcanic rock. The city is gorgeous and the vibe very much reminds me of Antigua, Guatemala. 

We quickly dropped our bags off, and set out to do what everyone does in Arequipa...Eat! Using our handy Lonely Planet guide we received a recommendation to check out an eatery called Restaurant on the Top. We hiked up the the many flights of stairs only to realize how amazing the view of the Plaza de Armas and the surrounding city was. Michelle went camera crazy! Our waiter was more than welcoming providing us with cozy ponchos to keep us warm.  I was concerned it didn't match my shoes. 

Our authentic Arequipian meal  was everything we hoped for. We tried the explosively spicy rocoto relleno pepper. It was so hot that even washing it down with Cusequena beer did not help. Michelle suggested holding a sip of beer in my mouth for ten seconds as this process worked well for her. However, I continued to drip sweat and almost removed my poncho.

Walking off dinner and checking out the local tiendas, I discovered my love for llamas. Eight postcards, a stuffed Christmas ornament and two magnets later I had a bag full of llamas and Michelle signed me up for LA (aka Llama Anonymous). 

As if eating that meal was not enough, we later moved onto Cafe Capriccio to enjoy Rollo Chirimoya, a desert filled with Peruvian fruit and chocolate yumminess! Tired, stuffed, and unsure how our stomach would react we thought it would be best to return to the hotel. 

Foregoing the idea of waking up at 2:30 a.m to visit Colcan Canyon, Michelle and I slept in and got a late start to the day. After breakfast, we booked the bus to Cusco and putzed around the city all day looking through stores, sitting on a rooftop deck enjoying the tunes of two exotic birds and a cerveza, and even visiting the local monastery, Santa Catalina. There I learned not to lean against the painted walls because now my sleeve is bright red. We snatched some excellent photographs of the city, our bellies were always full, I purchased two more llama postcards, and now we are both very excited about visiting Cusco and the Sacred Valley. We will be boarding the ten hour bus for the overnight trip and hopefully the elevation doesn't make us too sick!

Stay tuned...


Christina 


 

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