Arequipa - The White City

After the desert adventure in Huacachina, I took an overnight bus to Arequipa. On the way, we did a quick pit stop to see the famous Naza Lines from an observation tower, which are essentially huge formations drawn into the ground. To this day its purpose is still not entirely clear but either a map for water or some spiritual purpose are the most likely explanations for its existence.

Anyway, Arequipa. It is dubbed the White City because most of the buildings in its historical centre were built with white stones from a nearby quarry. To get a better sense of the city and its history, a few of us from the bus signed up for a free walking tour.

Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch and visited the Santa Catalina Monastery, which, in contrast to the white buildings around it, is a colourful and quite large complex right in the middle of the city. We strolled around the monastery, took countless pictures and were a bit in awe about how big it was - it certainly did not look as large from the outside.

By the time we left the monastery, it was shortly before sunset and we went up to a rooftop at the main square to take in the incredible views over the plaza and its buildings. The sunset was beautiful and rounded up a great day of exploring Arequipa. However, we were not done yet. As all of us were hungry, we decided to go and eat something - and we opted to try some of Peru's delicacies: Cuy (or Guinea Pig) and Alpaca. Cuy was very delicious, especially the super crispy skin. Alpaca essentially tasted a bit like beef. With some shots of Pisco, it was finally time to call it a night - happy and slightly exhausted/tipsy.

The next day, some of us opted to jump on a day tour to the Rute del Sillar to explore the quarry and the white stones with which Arequipa was constructed. Our first stop brought us to a small canyon before heading to the main attraction. Walking through the quarry felt a bit touristy as all sorts of figures and objects were carved out of the stones, but nonetheless interesting. Yes, it was an Instagram paradise, but some of the carvings were just super cool.

We ended the day on our hostel's rooftop, but went to bed early, since the following day, it was a very early wake up for an overnight tour into the Colca Canyon.

My impression of Arequipa was that despite being a rather big city, it has a nice small city vibe that I really enjoyed. One does not need too long here, but it is certainly worth a stop. Czytaj więcej