A Bit More Arequipa

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Since I hadn't been able to explore much of Arequipa because I felt sick, I wanted to stay a couple extra days after the Colca trek. The city felt so calming, and there was plenty to explore. I was glad that Jessy (from the trek) had another night in Arequipa, so we were able to hang out for a while longer. We went to a chocolate cafe called Chaqauo and shared two incredible milkshakes! Then, we found a delicious Indian restaurant and ate SO MUCH. Worth it! After lunch, she had to catch her bus, so I went back to the cafe to write about Colca Canyon in my blog and to have an artisan beer from Lima! I had been eyeing a Cumbres Quinoa Kolsh and I was not disappointed! The Cumbres Maiz Morado IPA was equally yummy :)

That night, I was relaxing in the dorm when a small group of 5 decided to go to the carnival We had been listening to the screams of fear and delight a few blocks from the hostel for days, so why not explore it ourselves? The best part was that we were the only foreigners there; tons of families, groups of teenagers, and couples on dates reigned supreme! After taking a quick glance around at the odd assortment of amusement park rides, many of which looked like hand-me-downs from the USA with English names on them, I decided to limit my joy to the two safest looking rides...a twirly and a swinging ship. I was happy to take photos of the others as they did even twirlier rides that made my stomach clench just watching them go round and round! After a snack of churros, we headed back home and I went to sleep.

For my last day in Arequipa, I relaxed in the hammock all morning and made some plans for the upcoming days. For my last activity, I visited the Santa Catalina Monastery. It was really pretty and was like a small city within the city - almost 215,000 square feet! It was founded in 1579 and was mostly occupied by the second daughters of rich, aristocratic Spanish families. The dowry to enter was 2,400 silver coins (or $150,000) and a lot of "presents" for the monastery. There were tales of immoral behavior, slaves and servants until a strict Dominican nun arrived in 1861, set the ladies straight, and freed the slaves. Nowadays, 20 nuns still reside in one corner of the monastery.

I went around 5pm because I heard that at dusk, the monastery would be candlelit, thus invoking a more spiritual and intimate environment. I think I should have gone 30 minutes earlier because once the sun was down, it was ...well...dark. Not great for taking pictures of all the colorful walls and corridors! Oh well! The last room I entered was a gallery full of religious paintings. Not usually my cup of tea, but the saving grace was a small quartet playing classical Spanish guitar music! Because the monastery has great acoustics, live music is often played there and I was happy to see it. After the monastery, I enjoyed more Indian food and then turned in early. Here are a few photos of Santa Catalina.





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