Arequipa, the White City

We had a long weekend as a result of the 3^rd annual Summit of South American and Arab Countries group (ASPA), which was held in Lima on Monday and Tuesday. The political leaders of 34 countries gathered in Lima during the Summit- 12 from South America and 22 from Arab nations. About two weeks ago, we learned that Peru's government was shutting down the capital region for the Summit, closing schools, banks, government offices, and financial markets for two days. I can’t say we were too disappointed by the long weekend, and my friend Cindy and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to travel a bit!

So, we hopped on a plane and took the 1.5 hour flight to Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru, known for its white sillar (porous white volcanic stone) buildings. 

We spent the day walking around the center of the city, with its beautiful colonial style buildings and the Plaza de Armas. 

Not being a bird-lover, I was careful not to get in the way of those who were feeding the masses, but I can appreciate the experience from a distance!

Arequipa is apparently the #1 place in Peru to buy items made from the fur of baby alpaca, vicuna, and other woolen goods. 

Cindy and I each purchased some goods, as we had heard that the area gets very cold in the evenings. 

Making new friends in Arequipa!

We went to the market in search of some type of cucumber extract drink that a colleague had recommended. While we couldn't find that, we did find hundreds of types of Peruvian potatoes and the biggest strawberries I have ever seen. Mmmm!

We also had a chance to order the river shrimp that are so popular in Arequipa. I can't say I enjoyed them too much, but I gave them a try!

We spent a sunny afternoon exploring the beautiful Monestaria de Santa Catalina, a Convent in Arequipa that was founded in 1579 under the Domincan order. It is similar to a small Spanish village in the middle of the city, with its narrow cobblestone streets, buildings of orange, brick red, and cobalt blue, water fountains, etc. Parts of the convent were damaged in an earthquake, but it is restored and even has a small group of nuns who still live there today. 

The trip to Arequipa was a good one, but the highlight was our two-day trip to the Colca Canyon, which our hotel arranged for us. I'll write more about that in another post!