A place I never thought I would go to would be Arequipa
Peru. And while it isn’t a big tourist
destination this city was a pleasant surprise.
First off, I found Arequipa to be one of the cleanest cities in all of
South America. The people are friendly
and as its nestled amongst seriously tall volcanoes! As is often the case, I
only had a total of about 8 hours to sight see.
Surprisingly, in 8 hours you can “do” the city but you miss out on
the opportunity to visit Colca Canyon which is the major tourist destination nearby.
I stayed right on the Plaza de Armas and was able to walk to all of the sights. Just remember that you are at about 7900’ when walking around the area. The sun rose very early while I was there (at about 530am) so I was able to take advantage and see many of the sights before meetings started. And, this city is a world
I stayed right on the Plaza de Armas and was able to walk to all of the sights. Just remember that you are at about 7900’ when walking around the area. The sun rose very early while I was there (at about 530am) so I was able to take advantage and see many of the sights before meetings started. And, this city is a world
The Cathedral at sundown.
Volcano Views
Many areas of the city provide views of the surrounding volcanoes. One great view is the small city park called Plaza de Yanahuara. This half hour walk each way from the Plaza gave a beautiful vista of the surrounding
volcanoes. I grew up on the north side of
the Pacific Ring of Fire and even survived Mt St Helen's eruption but those volcanoes
appear to be like tiny babies compared to these Peruvian big behemoths with elevations
close to 20k! Ya, that’s some elevation
and ya, they are active with minor eruptions less than a year ago!
Soccer and Volcanoes - that by definition is Peru!
View from Yanahuara
Now that's a volcano (without a top!)
Churches
Finding the churches always provides wonderful
insight into the history of cities and Arequipa was no exception. Two churches in particular are:
Church of La Merced
This church was celebrating its 200th anniversary. That’s a seriously long time. The architecture also shows the influence of
the Spanish settlers of this region which are much more prevalent than in the
more Mayan influenced north and central portions of Peru.
Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa
This
church, like the whole city, has a Spanish influence with white
stone. It also houses an amazing pipe organ which should not be missed, hearing it if possible is even better.
The cathedral is also the hub of the city. Multiple times throughout the week there is
some reason to have a military parade or festival. I love being able to attend
random festivals and see the vibrant culture of the area.
Central park area with decorations for Christmas.
Dancers in the Plaza. They spun so fast I got dizzy just watching!
I loved this old lady just watching everything going on.
If it isn't one festival, its another!
Santa Catalina Monastery
One of the most unique and interesting things to do is tour the monastery. It took about 1.5-2 hours
to tour and was well worth it. The guides
provide insight which is really necessary to appreciate the history and story
of this convent. The architecture and
winding walkways provide some great opportunities for pictures. Add fascinating stories and it was one of my
favorite things to do. I mean, who wants
to not talk to anyone for between one to four years while being a novice nun. As a social butterfly I so wouldn’t have made it! Surprisingly it is still a working monastery.
Amazing colors throughout the monastery
This is actually the national flower of Peru - Cantuta
Old washing machines (okay, basins) area.
Entrance way - and they meant silence!
Food
Anyplace in the world has unique food and I'm always crazy enough to try most of it. Peru has guinea pig and alpaca. While
guinea pig isn’t my favorite (I can’t get past the idea of a rodent) I really
enjoy Alpaca. Have some Inca cola, quinoa and
potatoes on the side and you are a real Peruvian!
Luckily you can't tell from looking at it that its guinea pig
One version of Alpaca with quinoa
Another version of Alpaca with potatoes
But, if you want to claim Arequipa then you have to try Kola Escocesa. This is a fruity flavored cola that can only be found in this region. Arequipa is known for its fierce pride in its city (they even have their own passports you can buy!) and drinking this kola is one way they show their regional pride.
Not sure why its got a Scottish flair but it is Arequipa!
If you want to see additional pictures I've taken please visit my photo album at TrekkingTrego Public Gallery. All pictures are available for purchase.
