Friday July 15
An alternative title for this blog that was briefly considered and then rejected due to it's verbosity was;
The Mountain, the Market, the Mansion, the Monument, the Monastery and the Most Important Name
Our hosts, Paul and Ruth generously offered to show us some parts of Arequipa that we had not been able to see under our own steam.
Paul and Ruth
I felt it worthwhile to go up on the roof at 6:15 am to try and capture the feeling of the sun rising over El Misty.
Even this quiet (apart from the barking dogs) little corner of Arequipa has its own little Plaza.
Looking down from the roof I noticed these little chaps in the neighbours back yard. Guniea pigs, locally known as cuy. My sister Laurita and I used to keep them in our backyard when we were children. They make great pets. I always remember reading that in traditional Peruvian homes guinea pigs were kept in the kitchen and fed vegetable scraps as the were fattened up to eat!!!
First stop on Paul's itinerary, the 138 year old San Camilo Market that takes up an entire city block.
Alex needed a "little" sombrero to ward off the midday sun. Did I mention that Arequipa is a desert city?
Time for a Chicha de Jora, a local bear made of corn.
Nice.
Some if the 3800 potato or papa varieties
Seemed like 90% of the cars in town are taxis.
For the second stop we drove out of town and up into the desert mountains to the sleepy pueblo of Chiguata. A district 30 km away from Arequipa, on the slopes of the volcano Pikchu Pikchu. The name chiguata comes from the Quechua words "chiri" meaning "cold" and "wata" meaning "year".
Loved this quiet little town, especially this little shop.
Feels like a Wild West town.
Even this little town has its Plaza.
Picnic lunch.
Grazing alpaca teathered in front of the owners home.
The Americas are the home of cactus.
Next, back in Arequipa city, La Mansion de Fundador. A 1500s colonial estate, once the home of Arequipa's founder, featuring period rooms & a chapel.
"Don Garcí Manuel de Carbajal was a Spanish lieutenant and occasional soldier who founded the city of Arequipa in Peru on August 15, 1540, calling it "La Villa Hermosa de Arequipa." Carbajal was born in Placencia, Extremadura, Spain and explored present-day Arequipa as an emissary of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro."
Don Garcí Manuel de Carbajal's car.
Paul and Ruth
Now with the exception of some Frank Lloyd Wright houses (yes, I mentioned FLW) we are generally not fans of big mansions. All that wealth and austentation. But we were very impressed by this single storey courtyard home with its stone barrel vaulted ceilings and natural white Sillar stone walls.
It had a relaxed light and airy feel. A good feeling in every space.
And although we are not fans of "feature walls" the richly coloured walls in different colours at the end of the room felt right.
Waxed herringbone brick floor.
Same colour scheme as the convent in town. Must have been a sale on.
The monument, Sachaca Observatory Tower provided 360 degree views of Arequipa.
El Misty
Queso Helado is a local ice cream type desert that we loved.
The Monestary we visited to taste the Pisco, the famous Peruvian liquor made of grapes.
The Monestary has been converted into boutique shops.
The Plaza De Armas by night
And back to the Cathedral where Paul showed us something that we couldn't find in the Cusco cathedral.
Above the creepy Jesus idol...
Above the creepy Jesus idol...
It's the most important name, the Tetragrammaton, the four Hebrew letters that spell out Jehovah.
After Italian Restaurant for dinner we were ready for bed.
Lloydnalex
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