Arequipa

With a much needed recovery day in Cusco spent relaxing, enjoying and basking in the atmosphere of the city we hopped on yet another night bus bound for Arequipa. Winding our way south through the Andes mountains we marveled as dawn broke over mountain plateaus and epic landscapes that stretched as far as our windowed bus would allow us to see. Arriving at the main bus station and procuring a taxi without too much difficulty we were whisked to La Casa de los Pinguinos, which would be our living accommodations for the next six days. The markedly penguin centric hostel was about as close to a hotel as we could hope for and the Dutch owner was delightfully helpful and humbly hospitable. As it was still quite early we set about exploring the city without too much delay.

Renowned as a metropolis that embraces its Spanish influenced roots, Arequipa is nestled in the ominous shadow of three active volcanoes. Spanish architecture is readily apparent in much of the buildings and colourful walls that line the cobblestone streets. We later learned, once we had noticed that most locals walked on the shady side of the street, that the atmosphere is very thin over the city and that fact coupled with our high altitude made us foreigners very susceptible to sun burns. Our conveniently located hostel meant that we were only a brisk 20 minute walk away from the main Plaza de Armas of the city which in predictable fashion was bordered by the important buildings of the city. Exploring the large cathedral with its many ancient religious artifacts and wonderfully ornate stone and wood work we were guided on our tour to the rooftop views of the church were we were once again taken aback by the sweeping views of the volcanoes and city that lay below. To think that all of this exploring was absorbed in the first few hours of being in the city boggled our senses.

Excited to see more, we learned that by the time we got to our most coveted attraction in the city, the Santa Catalina Monastery (affectionately known as the city within a city), it was too late to actually take it in. Returning the next day we managed to get admitted into the vast monastery and have a guided tour while the early light was still soft in the sky. Trying to learn as much as we could we left our cameras holstered on our first loop around the colourful inner streets and sanctuaries of the nunnery until we could take it no more. Venturing around for a second time we let our creativity get the better of us and spend quite a bit more time exploring the scaled down town on our own.

After reassessing our travel itinerary we thought it best to spend a few extra days in Arequipa and explore the ins and outs of the food, culture and atmosphere. I know for me personally that I really enjoyed the extra reprieve while we immersed ourselves into our temporarily South American lives.

Written by AJ Kwong