Arequipa

29th June - 1st July

We finally made it out of Cusco on the Saturday night and took the overnight bus in an effort to while away the ten hour journey. The bus was comfortable enough, we paid just 30 soles (less than 6 quid) for a semi-sleeper, with front row seats on the top deck. Unfortunately the TV with it's sole speaker was right above our heads and turned up full blast, and a small child in the seat opposite was desperately trying to compete. Thank god for ipods!

The city of Arequipa, 1011km from Lima, stands in a beautiful valley at the foot of El Misti volcano, a snow capped perfect cone, 5,822m high, guarded on either side by the mountains Chachani (6057m) and Pichu-Pichu (5669m). The city has fine Spanish buildings and many old and interesting churches built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic material almost exclusively used in the construction of Arequipa.

We checked in at the Los Incas hostel, a place recommended to us by friends in Cusco. The only rooms available were the more expensive ones in the main house, but we soon saw why. The room was huge, even with two large beds in it. Floors were wooden and highly polished, the ceilings were high and a massive window let the morning sun flood in. The bathroom looked like something out of a boutique hotel and the shower was to die for! Hot, hot water from powerful jets, you know the kind of shower normally only found in some fancy spa! Lets just say we decided to stick around for a few days, a wise decision given that Ady awoke the following day with the strange malaria-like fever Sam had experienced two days before (on route home from Machu Picchu) and spent the day in bed, whimpering!

Our time in Arequipa probably won't be the most memorable of the trip. The last few months on the road had caught up with us and after both having been sick with some malady or another, we just couldn't seem to find the energy to wander far from the hostel's TV room. We'd had plans to visit the Colca Canyon, a canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, situated 5 hours away at Cabanaconde. The itinerary set by the tour operators seemed to focus heavily on the Colca valley and it's various ruins, rather than the canyon. Having been unable to find any photos of the canyon in it's glory we reckoned it probably wasn't so impressive to see, especially after the stunning ravines on the road to Machu Picchu and gave the idea up.

In a rare burst of energy we did at least make it out to the city's prime attraction, the remarkable Santa Catalina Convent. Founded in the 16th century, it covers an area over 29,426 square meters within central Arequipa – a city within a city. As many as 450 nuns lived in total seclusion, except for their women servants. The monastery was opened to the public in 1970 allowing visitors into the sunny maze of cobbled streets and plazas, decorated with brightly coloured flowers. Today, the few remaining nuns live in just a small section of the convent, continuing with a very traditional life…and baking the most delicious cakes for the visitor's cafe!