Day 9:
Today Stuart and I got up at a leisurely pace, a nice change from the 4/5 am alarms that have epitomized our time in Peru thus far. Because we weren't out the door before 7, we got to enjoy our hotels complementary breakfast- a vast array of juices, omelettes, cereals, sausage, pastry, cheese, meats, and of course, potatoes.
Full, we launched back into Cusco's historical district to purchase the last few souvenirs we had had our eyes on before catching our 1 pm flight to Arequipa. Overall, Cusco was really good to us and we enjoyed our time there but are excited to spend the remainder of our trip in the lower, warmer city of Arequipa allowing our legs to recover. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru, following the capital of Lima. It is nestled between three dramatic volcanos and its colonial style buildings are built almost entirely from a chalky white volcanic stone called sillar, making the city sparkle in the sunlight, surrounding one of the prettiest plazas we've ever seen.
Knowing that the first part of our trip was going to be active, Stu and I booked a beautiful room in the Palla boutique hotel for our time in the white city and the room didn't disappoint. Close to the main plaza (plaza de armas), our room features a king size bed and claw foot tub, while the hotel boasts a beautiful rooftop terrace overlooking the city.
Upon arrival, Stu and I unpacked, reveled in the room, and then made our way over to the San Camilo Market for a late afternoon snack to tide us over until dinner. The market is a sprawling circus of food and clothing vendors hustled into stalls organized by primary product. I particularly enjoyed wandering through the aisles designated for fruit, flowers, and cheese before settling into a juice stall for my first sample of the famous Peruvian "jugo". I ordered a mango-passionfruit blend mixed with orange juice and was amazed at the sweet tartness of the drink, especially as you drink from a glass handed down from on high from the woman in the stall, and when you finish your glass, you receive the remainder of the batch!
A few blocks from the market, on our way back to the main plaza, I saw a woman setting up a street cart grill. When researching for Peru, I had been warned away from street food as the safety standards are much lower and food can be sitting out for hours. However, seeing as she was just setting up, I knew I finally had an opportunity to get my hands on some safe Peruvian street food. I creepily waited and watched the vendor from the opposing corner for the 15 minutes it took for her to finish stoking the coals and have the first set of kabobs ready, complete with a small potato on top. Stu and I each had one, and they were well worth the wait.
Continuing on, I came across several ice cream vendors (it seems to be a city specialty) and finally gave in to a fudgcicle with fudge filling. It was the perfect treat to finish our walk to the plaza and people-watch from the steps of the massive Spanish basilica. Not long after we settled, we were approached by two young people asking if we spoke English and we're willing to be filmed for a 10 minute interview for an English class assignment. Stu was suspicious and opted out but I agreed and wound up in an interesting conversation with two young locals about why we had come to Peru, what we thought of Arequipa, and how I wanted to be remembered when I was gone. Yes, one of those questions is not like the others.
From there, we finally made it back to the hotel terrace to watch the sunset and enjoy some pisco sours and the view. Once the sun had set, we wandered down two blocks to a local burger joint called the AQP Burger Company, famous for their cheap eats and sauce selection. They did not disappoint and we enjoyed the table and some conversation with some french backpackers over our meal.
Cannot wait to spend some more time exploring this beautiful city tomorrow.
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