Arequipa

We had a relatively early start leaving the beach on the Monday morning, but despite this I woke up at like 5am for some reason. This gave me the opportunity for one last run before going back just into altitude, and a swim in the sizable pool before leaving for our next stop in Arequipa. The drive was pretty smooth following the coast all the way up to lunchtime where we stopped on the sandy beach to say goodbye to the sea for quite a while.

After lunch we began to climb gradually and arrived in Arequipa before dark. After settling in the hotel which was an impressive old colonial building with massive rooms, we went out for dinner. My room had a grand fireplace and high ceiling! For dinner we went to this restaurant famous for serving alpaca meat. I went to the trio of meats however which included beef, pork, and alpaca, accompanied by an andean potatoes. It was very nice. After dinner quite a few people went out but I was completely exhausted so went back to the hotel for an early night.

Come morning we had a free day to explore Arequipa. Situated on the Peruvian altiplano, Arequipa is the second largest city in the country. Set against the stunning backdrop of the snow-covered volcano El Misti, salt lakes, thermal springs and high-altitude deserts, the landscape of the area is truly unique. The city itself is very beautiful, full of stunning colonial buildings built out of the soft white volcanic rock that is found in the area. After breakfast which included eggs and even crisps in buffet form, I headed out to explore the city.

I walked round the old town to start with and the buildings were all very pretty, soon ending up at the main square which included an impressive Christmas tree. I then headed to the river and headed up to the nearby area Yungahura to visit a viewpoint to see the cities skyline. I then went for lunch at a local supermarket cafe as I needed to buy a few things, before heading back into the old town to further explore the cobbled streets.

I then visited Museo Santuarios Andinos to visit Juanita. Sometimes known as the "Ice Maiden", Juanita is the mummy of a young Inca girl aged about 11-14 at the time of her death in approximately 1450 CE - she was discovered near to the summit of Mount Ampato in 1995 by two climbers, her body frozen and well-preserved in the low temperatures and high altitude. Despite cameras not being permitted it was interesting learning about this incredible find and other Inca artefacts found on the mountain. She died a brutal death but was a sacrifice to the gods and her body still has skin, blood and organs which is quite remarkable after such a long time!

After the museum I relaxed back at the hotel before heading back to the old square for a few beers while it started to get dark. I then headed to this British pub which served some proper beer and proper English classic food. It was nice having a few pints here with a British atmosphere, although I did accidentally stay until close!