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Our journey to Arequipa involved our second night bus, still not an enjoyable experience for me (Katy) after throwing up twice for no identifiable reason, but improved by more comfortable seats than the last one and our own TV screens like on a plane.
Arriving at our hostel quite tired, we were greeted by very friendly staff and didn't have to wait too long before we could get into our room. After some recovery time, we headed out into the historic centre for some lunch in a small side street, had a bit of a wander past beautiful buildings then located the chocolate cafe. After this I was much improved, partly due to the coffee and partly due to some delicious chocolate cake. We eventually ended up at the market which was great, selling all sorts of things, including baby llama heads (they bring you luck if placed in the foundations of a building). We bought lots of vegetables to cook for dinner (with some pasta), totalling under £1 and some juicy olives, also very cheap. I didn't expect Peru to have olives as we haven't seen many up till now but they were selling loads of them all over Arequipa. Also of note were the stalls selling pet products, including a vast array of outfits for dogs, for example a bee outfit and a princess dress (we also saw pet outfits in the quite nice supermarket). We have seen a number of dogs recently wearing jumpers, t shirts and small coats so I'm now looking forward to seeing one dressed as a bee. (Update: I actually saw a dog in a bee outfit from the bus on the way to Cusco. Unbeelievable!!) We spent the rest of the day relaxing and cooking our healthy meal before retiring to bed at an early hour (living the high life!).
With renewed energy once again the next day, we went on a free walking tour (tips at the end) of the city and were out for three hours with Edgar. We went to see some of the beautiful architecture and intricate stonework of the city including some hidden streets that we might not have found ourselves. He gave us lots of information however after our later visit to the monastery I did doubt the accuracy of some of it! Another highlight was finally getting to see a a fanciful interpretation of a picture of "The Last Supper" with the main dish on the table being Cuy (guinea pig)! At the end of the tour we were taken to a restaurant to try samples of two Peruvian drinks (chicha, made from purple corn, and pisco sour) and a pastry thing with cheese in. We were also given cards for the restaurant to get a free Pisco Sour and mine was marked with the word "winner": I had won a free main course! So we stayed, along with most of our group, for lunch which was pretty good. Simon tried Alpaca for the first time. It was quite chewy.
After a bit of a lazy afternoon, and a walk around the city at dusk, we were ready for our gourmet treat of a classy meal out in Arequipa. After rave reviews from our friends that have gone before us, we turned up for our reservation at ZigZag restaurant where we were really pleased that they seated us by the window overlooking a small square and church. After not much hesitation, we went for a trilogy of fish and a trilogy of meat, served on a sizzling hot stone and with a range of sides and sauces: it was divine! The piece of Alpaca was so much better than the lunch one. Accompanied by a glass of wine and finished off with dessert for Simon and coffee and truffles for me (very sophisticated, I'm finally growing up!) it was an extremely enjoyable evening. Slightly bringing down the tone were the paper bibs forced upon us, but I was glad of it in the end and everyone else also had to look silly and wear them.
Our final full day was mostly spent finalising our arrangements for trekking in the Colca Canyon and how to get to Cusco. This involved a trip to the bus station to find out more information. I was so pleased when we found a daytime bus to Cusco - another night bus avoided! We also decided that we would go it alone to the Canyon but book tourist transport back to be able to stop at a few viewpoints. Plan in place, we got a taxi back to town, to the market, where we had a markedly different culinary experience from the previous night with all the locals in the basic restaurant area. We tried a local speciality, rocotto relleno, which is a large chilli pepper stuffed with meat and veg and served with a potato cake. After being assured by the waitress that it wasn't spicy, I was reduced to a snivelling mess, unable to finish mine!
Later that afternoon we finally got round to visiting the large and very beautiful Santa Catalina monastery. We deliberately went later in the day after a recommendation on the walking tour to see it before and after sunset but it is only open late two days a week. Unfortunately we missed the big sign at the entrance saying it as shutting at 6 and only discovered this at the end of the tour when we were told by our guide. It was lucky we hadn't left it too much later! We went with Marlena, an American girl we met in the hostel and the three of us took a tour round the monastery which is like a small town. None of us fancied the life of the nuns, despite for several centuries the fairly luxurious conditions they lived in with servants. Girls (the second daughter of a family) were sent there aged 12 where they were in isolation for four years, learning the ropes, unable to see their families apart from through a wooden grate once a month. After the training when they had decided to stay (most did otherwise they brought shame on their family) they would never see their families again or be able to leave the monastery and their family would be notified by letter when they died. At some point in history, their luxurious lives were terminated and they had to live a more communal existance and get rid of the servants- they must have had a shock! Now, there are only 14 nuns and they are allowed to leave the monastery and they even make chocolates- doesn't sound too bad! The buildings and streets in the monastery are beautiful with the rich colours and pots of flowers and it was really interesting hearing about life there so it was a shame when we got kicked out earlier than expected. After the tour, the three of us went for burritos and we chatted to Marlena about her writing job in Peru where she updates social media about some sort of plant root supplement from Peru that is only sold to Western countries.
Another early night was in order ready for our next adventure: a three day trip to the Canyon.
Katy
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