Well, what can I say about Arequipa except I wish I knew her better.
Sadly, I was sick as a dog when I arrived on the overnight bus, which I had slept soundly on due to healthy doses over night time cold medicine. However, it left me feeling completely groggy and wasted as my cab pulled into my hostel at 7:00am. Fortunately, they gave me a room straight off. I asked for an extra blanket and promptly went back to sleep, putting my total sleep hours for that night up to 14.
Fortunately, my entire dorm was pretty much deserted save for one Aussie guy who spent most of his time away from the hostel.
So for the next two days, instead of trekking Mt. Misti, the beautiful active volcano outside of town, or visiting Colca Canyon to see the condors in flight, I laid in bed reading Stoker’s “Dracula” for the umpteenth time and watching videos on YouTube. Several times, I had to get out to get something to eat and got to enjoy one small piece of Arequipa, the city’s central square which is an UNESCO world heritage site made up of beautiful, grand colonial architecture made from white stone native to the region. Because of this, Arequipa is known as “The White City.”
I ate a lovely little cafes and had soft serve ice cream to soothe my burning throat. I sat in the square and watched the young couples on dates get their pictures taken in front of the impressive central fountain. I watched toddlers toss seeds to the hundreds of hungry pigeons, then giggle and look to their parents for assurance. I saw old people, sitting on park benches, hand in hand, and tourists, sitting lazily in the expensive cafes and restaurants lining the square. Because I didn’t have much energy for anything, I simply watched the world go by.
When I come back to Peru, I’d love to come back to Arequipa to really experience all she has to offer.
With this, I'll leave you with some lovely images of Arequipa.
The Cathedral in the main square by twilight...
A view of the main square by day...
El Misti...
I wouldn't mind going back to Arequippa! In 2008 I spent more than six months wandering around Peru. Wanted to go kind of everywhere and talk to folks and take pictures, but renting a car was beyond my budget, so I bought a four-wheel-drive car and drove it around, finally selling it to my landlord in Arequippa, which was sort of my home base for 2-3 months. Blog = https://kojin.wordpress.com . slideshow that used to be on the homepage no longer works, some support company went belly-up, but some decent images through the story.
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