Peru Part 3: Arequipa

As already narrated, after a few days in Huacachina and Nazca I traveled to Arequipa on a long night bus. It was still very early when I arrived, so this little fish swam around the bus station inquiring into schedules for buses to Puno. Then I stopped into a shop, bought some water and chocolate and had a chat with the shopkeeper. Before leaving the station I surveyed the facilities, paying the nominal fee and receiving a bit of toilet paper, even though I always carried my own.

In Arequipa I found a hotel, but due to the early hour the room had not yet been made up, so I left to walk about a bit. Upon returning, the room still had not been cleaned and this little fish traveler found signs of the last inhabitants evening pastime. When I went to ask about the room, it was cleaned straight away. I then left to make plans to visit the Colca Canyon, perhaps the deepest in the world (there is another more remote canyon in Peru which some claim is deeper). The agency recommended the two-day trip rather than the one-day trip claiming that the one-day trip left at 2am and returned at 8pm. The difference in price was minimal and the two-day trip included a hotel room, so this little fish changed her plans a bit and signed up for the two days.

With the rest of the day ahead of me I headed for the Santa Catalina Monastery, which, in its day, was like a self-contained city. Despite the name it was populated with nuns, mostly the daughters of the well-to-do. The bright blue and salmon-colored walls and cobblestone paths were enchanting and I told myself that I could have lived there peacefully as a nun, even if it had meant being celibate (note the irony).

Across from the convent was the museum housing the remains of Juanita the Ice Princess. Our celibate fish chose not to visit Juanita, as she had had enough of mummies in Nazca and she had seen plenty of photos of Juanita with her eerie smile and therefore had no desire to see her up close. For the rest of the afternoon the fish wandered around the town looking for something to take away with her. She visited a church or two but found nothing remarkable in them.

That evening I broke my “no internet while in Peru” rule, which I would break again, and found a message from L #2. It was a bit shocking; he came just short of declaring his love for me. Or perhaps in his own way he did, I just didn’t see it that way yet.

That evening I tried a dish called lomo saltado, which I remembered having read about in my trusty Lonely Planet, but had forgotten what it was. When the plate came I was amazed. It was piled high with two large scoops of rice accompanying it. It was enough food for two or three people. At first it seemed a bit strange, but soon it became an addiction. Lomo saltado is marinated strips of beef cooked together with tomatoes, french fries and chopped onion. This traveler, who usually is not a culinary adventurer, did try several other “typical” dishes (including alpaca) throughout her journey, but found none so appealing as lomo saltado.

Not having bathed since my arrival in Nazca two days earlier, I craved a nice warm shower to wash off the grains of sand that had plagued me ever since Huacachina. Unfortunately the water was biting ice-cold. I held off on bathing for another day and went to bed.

All pictures from Santa Catalina Monastery.