Arequipa, taken away by the beauty of the “white city”

After a couple of days of rest in Huacachina it is time to climb back up in the Andes to Arequipa at 7,660 ft altitude.

We took another overnight bus to get from Ica to Arequipa. The bus is scheduled to leave at 8pm for an 11 hour journey. Before hoping on the bus we decide to go wander a little bit in the center of Ica… huge mistake! At 5pm on a Saturday the roads and sidewalks were absolutely packed. Between the guys trying to sell tours, the merchants sitting on the sidewalk selling about anything you can think of and the Peruvians walking super slow (we haven’t mentioned it yet but Peruvians walk really really slowly)…

It took us about 20 minutes to simply walk 2 blocks, giving Maider a revival of her time in China. We managed to grab a bite among all this chaos but didn’t enjoy our little walk and just wanted to take the bus and leave this place.

At 8:30 pm (as usual the bus was a little late) we left for Arequipa. Once again we decided to pay a little extra to get seats that fold back up to 160 degrees so we can get some good sleep. This time we didn’t get the typical crazy driver and we’re able to sleep most of the way. Again the service is awesome, we get some food, drinks, a blanket and we even have individual screens to watch a movie or play a game.

It’s well rested that we arrive in Arequipa at 9:30 am (2 hours after schedule with no explanation but hey it’s how it works down here!)

Arequipa is a colonial city built among several volcanoes. It’s nicknamed the white city because if the white color of the bricks used to build all the monuments and houses. These bricks are white because they are made from the ashes coming from the volcanoes all around the city.

VISIT OF THE HISTORICAL CENTER

We dropped off our bags at our hostel and immediately went to visit the city.

Our hostel was ideally placed, about 3 minutes walk from the main Plaza de Armas.

The plaza is very cute with people wandering, huge palm trees and of course white buildings surrounding the plaza.

We get there right in time to see a traditional dance and music show!

After watching for a little bit we decided to visit the beautiful cathedral that is on the north side of the Plaza.

We then walked around town and found a very nice patio where we stopped for lunch. It is so nice to finally wander around a city this calm.

If you haven’t guessed already we fell in love with Arequipa on this first day. First of all it’s by far the calmest city we visited in Peru and it is relaxing to finally be in a city like that. Then the colonial buildings and their white stone are timeless and beautiful.

After being charmed by Huaraz and it’s snow capped summits, Arequipa offers an equally impressive scenery with the different volcanoes surrounding the city.

To start the afternoon we decided to join a walking tour of the city to understand a little bit more about the history. We did one of these famous Free Walking Tours that you can find in a lot of big cities worldwide, where the guide simply works for a tip.

The guide took us along small old streets in the historical center of the city, showing us multiple old monuments and explaining a little bit about the history of this city founded by the Spanish conquistadors.

Since established, the city faced multiple natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but the city was always able to adjust and rebuild itself.

We also went to see Llamas and Alpacas at the Mundo Alpaca museum. Our guide explained how they used the Alpaca’s wool but also taught us how shamans used different animals and plants to cure or energize.

Last stop of the tour was around the Plaza de Armas. We stopped at the only pre Inca restaurant in the world, the Sonccollay, where we lived an unforgettable experience.

First, we went on the roof of the restaurant where we had an amazing view of the city and of the Plaza de Armas.

Then we got the chance to visit the kitchen and meet the chef Walter.

First, he shows us everything he uses to cook, and keep in mind we are in a pre Inca restaurant : pots in Terra cotta and wooden spoons. Each pot and spoon is used for a different dish and you can see the name of that dish written on the pot or spoon.

Also, absolutely no fat is added during the cooking (oil or butter); instead he uses some water mixed with herbs or spices. To cook the meat he uses a huge stove heated by volcano rock. And to clean everything? Simply volcano ashes and homemade soap made from cotton seeds.

Walter talks about how you have to respect the kitchen, the food, the process, mother earth and the people. He goes on and on about how we are all alike and compares words from different languages to show us that we all have the same roots. And even if we are not from Peru, his kitchen is home to all of us.

Finally, he makes us a Pisco sour, but the pre Inca way. Lemons didn’t exist before the Spanish came so lemon is replaced by Passion juice, same thing with sugar the way we know it, so he replaced that with honey. Once done, we all go to the balcony to finally taste this lovely smelling mixture. But we didn’t know that Walter would start thanking absolutely everyone on earth. He starts with mother earth of course, and then thanks God and Jesus without forgetting all the archangels, the sun, the surrounding volcanos and of course everybody’s family. And for each figure he thanks, he pours a shot of Pisco on the Plaza beneath us (as you can imagine a few people unexpectedly received some Pisco on the top of their heads). And there we go, time to drink our Pisco sour… wait Walter has to bless each one of us with a drop of Pisco on the forehead… there we go, we can finally enjoy… oh no, we each have to cheers with the guy… Now we can enjoy our long awaited Pisco sour! And it didn’t disappoint!

The 2 hour tour is now over and it was fantastic!

MIRADOR YANAHUARA

Still full of energy we decided to walk up to the Yanahuara mirador to get a nice view of the city.

On the way we had to stop to get Queso Helado, a famous ice cream from Arequipa.

Again it was delicious, seems like Peruvians really enjoy their sweets!

COFFEE BREAK AT CHAQCHAO

Before going back to the hostel, one last stop at Chaqchao, Arequipa’s chocolate paradise. Chaqchao is a little shop where they make their own sustainable chocolate and even offer crash courses to learn how to make chocolate. We stopped at their little café and enjoyed some of their nice chocolate and a local craft beer on their lovely patio.

The patio is really nice and cozy and offers a beautiful view of the city. And it seems like Arequipa has plenty of these hidden gems around town. How can we not love it here?

SANTA CATALINA MONASTERY

After our first night in Arequipa we went to visit the city’s must see. The Santa Catalina convent is the largest convent in the world and expands over 220,230 square feet. A true city within the city.

Built in 1579, it was home to around 450 nuns over the years. They used to live completely cut off from the rest of the world, not being allowed contact with people outside the convent. The convent is now open to the public and some 40 nuns still live in it. A very peaceful and calm place. The bright colors are intriguing and offer an incredible scenery.

 A great place for Maider to take plenty of pictures!

CENTRAL MARKET

After visiting the convent for almost 2 hours, we went to the central market of Arequipa.

As we already saw in Lima and Huaraz, the central market takes a full block and you can find absolutely anything you could need. Here we ran into a full alley dedicated to fresh pressed juices of all kind…

After spending way too much in Huacachina we are pleased to find 6 soles ($2) menus and we stop to grab a quick lunch.

For our last afternoon in Arequipa, we decided to grab a beer and work on the blog from the rooftop of our hostel, surrounded by volcanoes! We also took the time to do some grocery shopping for our upcoming 3 day trek in the nearby Canyon del Colca.

Our last night in Arequipa was spent sitting by the Plaza Armas to watch the sunset and admire the beautiful colors on the cathedral.