South for the Summer: Arequipa

Arequipa, Peru

I got up at 4 am and took a taxi to the Lima airport, and arrived in Arequipa at 8am. My first impression was that we landed in a sand desert. There was no vegetation, only dirt and rock. Although barren, the scenery was really pretty just as the sun was coming up over the three mountain ranges that encircle the city: Chachani, El Misti, and Picchu Picchu. All three are snow capped.

The weather in Arequipa was really interesting. Super warm during the day, and when in the sunlight. But in the shade and at night it was particularly cold. I learned this the hard way when on my first day in Arequipa, I took a bus tour of the city from 2pm – 6pm. I had reserved a seat on the second floor of the bus that was open air. It was great during the afternoon, but as soon as the sun started to fall so did the temperature: rapidly. The tour was awesome though, and thanks to the open air top, I got to see a lot. Arequipa is a really interesting city, that is not at all what it seems at first glance. Along the river that runs through the city is lush vegetation where a lot of crops are grown. Check out the pics, it almost looks like the San Joaquin valley in CA.

Before going on the tour I also visited the infamous Santa Catalina convent. Its huge, and kind of expensive to get in, but totally worth it. Its beautiful and you can get a free guided tour from an actual person in the language of your choice. I tagged along with a group of Frenchies.

The next day, I went out to lunch with Celia and her daughter at a typical Arequipeño style restaurant called “Tipika.” I ordered Chupe de Camaron, which is a typical dish from Arequipa, and it was delicious. Celia and her daughter Natalie both ordered a cut of meat that was the back of the pig, skin and all. It was a HUGE piece of meat. This day also happened to be Peru’s independence day, and they had just elected a new president, so everyone was off of work. That night I went out to celebrate Peru’s independence day with two of my Mexican friends that I had met in Colombia while in San Gil. Had an awesome time, but the atmosphere was a bit quiet around town., which was kind of unexpected.

The next day I took an overnight, 10 hour bus to Cusco. The company I went with was called Cromotex. The overnight buses in South America offer two seat options: “semi-cama,” and “cama ejecutivo.” In the first option, which is what I reserved, the seat reclines to about 45° from vertical and your feet are supported. Dinner, and beverages were included, nothing special, but the ride was comfortable and I managed to get some sleep. Apparently cama ejecutivo is where its really at: fully reclinable seats, and gourmet dinners with wine on some better carriers.

The plane I took to Arequipa. Early morning view of the volcanoes

Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas cathedral to the left.

Convento de Santa Catalina

Convento de S.C.

View from the highest point of the convent

The tour bus I took that afternoon

View from the top of the bus

View of El Misti from El Mirador Yanahuara

El Mirador de Yanahuara

Valle del Chili, agricultural region in Arequipa. Arequipa even produces its own special type of papaya.

A guanaca at the llama farm....he ended up spitting at this tourist guy who was trying to take his picture. Pretty funny, but sucked for the guy. I guess no one had warned them about the animal's sensitivity to attention.