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Published: February 20th 2008
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Plaza de Armas
Wearing my new Bolivian poncho
Representative colonial arch balconies behind me Before I headed for Arequipa I almost got stuck in La Paz because the roads from La Paz to Copacabana were being blocked by bus drivers protesting for better insurance. Every other day they would temporarily allow some traffic through and of course the ticket price increased.
In the bus from Copacabana to Arequipa (around 9 hours) I met
Therese, a very interesting Norwegian girl, who was traveling around South America for half a year, learning Spanish. That made the bus trip seem a lot shorter 😊 Therese and I got along so well that we ended up doing all of the sightseeing in Arequipa together. We also met a very nice Austrian woman,
Monika, who was also traveling along, so we all ended up having a girl's night out for dinner.
As I had predicted (and I’m always right, remember?!), Arequipa turned out to be my favorite Peruvian city. Second by size only to Lima, Arequipa is also known as the White City due to its colonial buildings, made of
sillar, an off-white volcanic rock. Throughout its history, Arequipa has been plagued by earthquakes and volcanic disasters. For this reason, many of the city’s buildings are built low
for stability. Despite the natural disasters, many appealing historic structures survive.
Arequipeños are a proud people fond of intellectual debate, especially pertaining to politics. Their stubborn intellectual independence from Lima is so strong that at one time they even designed their own passport and flag.
My Arequipa sightseeing was divided into three distinct phases.
** Day one was
Día de Cultura.
First stop:
Museo Santuary - no photos allowed
The museum exhibits
Juanita, the ice princess - the frozen body of an Inca maiden sacrificed on the summit of the nearby Nevado Ampato over 500 years ago. Juanita and about two dozen other child sacrifices that were found in the Andes testify to the rituals and traditions of the Incas. The mummies found were all between the ages of 10 and 15, meant to appease the gods of the mountains to prevent volcanic eruptions and avalanches. The mummies remained preserved over centuries due to the winter climate of the Arequipa mountains. The body of Juanita was found buried deeper into the mountains (as a result of earthquakes), so she is the best preserved of all the bodies found. Therefore, she was sent to the US
for x-ray and other tests. The exams showed that she was hit in the head with a blunt object before she was laid to rest. Prior to her death she also drank the corn-based
chicha - the sacred drink of the Incas. In an effort to preserve Juanita in her original state she is only displayed from May to December. But we got to see Sarita, another child sacrifice. The guides are university students and volunteers at the museum. We had a very nice girl who spoke English quite well. It was probably my best museum experience in Peru.
Second stop:
Monasterio de Santa Catalina Although quite expensive (30 soles), the monastery was well worth the visit. Occupying a whole block and guarded by imposing high walls, according to Lonely Planet, it is one of the most fascinating colonial religious buildings in Peru. Wonderfully restored, the convent boasts narrow twisting streets, tiny fruit-filled plazas, hidden staircases, beautiful courtyards, and Spartan living quarters. Forced to open its doors to tourism in 1970 by Arequipa’s mayor, part of the convent is still in use by about three dozen nuns who continue to live a cloistered life in a far corner of
the complex separated from the other areas by gates, so tourists can walk around at their own convenience, without accidentally bumping into nuns. Tuesdays and Thursdays the monastery is open until 8 p.m. so Therese and I really experienced it the way it was back in its day. With no electricity, the convent was lighted solely by candles. At 20,000-sq-meters, the convent took over two hours to explore. Apart from the architecture, the nun’s living quarters were also displayed as they used to be, with old objects such as an old-fashioned wheelchair.
** Day two was
Día de Consumerismo.
Having felt very good with ourselves about our previous cultural day Therese and I spent the second day enjoying the benefits of our capitalistic society.
We went shopping! I don’t think you need many details about my shopping experiences; you had enough of it Lima’s entry.
In the morning we had coffee at
Cusco Coffee Company, a carbon copy of Starbucks - from the drinks and food to the prices. I had an amazing frappucino. For dinner we had Pizza Hut. Mmmm.
** Day three was
Día de Descanso.
We had a lovely breakfast
on one of Arequipa’s numerous balcony restaurants overlooking the Plaza de Armas. Arequipa’s
Plaza de Armas is quite impressive, made green by the palm trees around it.
La Catedral of Arequipa is the only one in Peru that stretches the length of a plaza, and of the Plaza de Armas, no less. It is massive! It is also one of less than 100 basilicas around the world that are allowed to display the Vatican flag.
After breakfast we took the City and Country MiniLoop tour. Our first stop was the
Carmen Alto mirador, from where you’re supposed to be able to see the three volcanoes of Arequipa: El Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu. Unfortunately, it was misty so we couldn’t really see anything, but there were alpacas so people had fun with them.
The next stop was the traditional and elegant neighborhood of
Yanahuara. When the bus pulled into the plaza a local kids said, “Hola turistas.” It was such a nice change from being called a
gringa. The plaza also overlooked the city through
sillar arches with inscriptions of excerpts of poetry by important Arequipeños. Also located on the plaza was the beautiful Iglesia San Juan de
Yanahuara (or Batista).
The last stop was the
Plaza and Mirador of Sachaca, but it was still misty so the view wasn’t that great. Another thing I discovered on the bus tour was a café/bar/restaurant called
Split Cro with the colors of the Croatian flag. Afterwards, Therese and I went in for a drink. The owned was Croatian and had opened it a few years ago. That was very very cool.
Another favorite place in Arequipa for me was
Parque Grau. A lovely park located just outside of the city center. It was a great place to sit, relax, and enjoy the sweet products of
Iberica, Arequipa’s premium chocolate brand. Although I cannot say I enjoy Peruvian chocolate (too dark for me), Iberica had the best
marzapán ever. It was comparable to the one my daddy gets me from Turkey. I drowned myself in it. It was
so good.
Spanish Word of the Day:
descanso =
rest *
Next stop: Nasca
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Ivanchica
non-member comment
heheheh malo nas je al nas ima- SVUGDJE smo!! LOL @alpacas- i love those creatures! cuter than llamas. nuff said. oh and LOL @ silenzio- that muste've been a VERY difficult task for u :P xoxox