Tour of Arequipa

 

Even though we got in after 3 I woke up around 6:30. My cold is much worse and that may have contributed to my not being able to sleep as now a cough has started, yeah!  We went down for breakfast at 9:30 just before they stopped serving and then went back to bed.  We had a 2 o’clock tour of Arequipa, our driver was the same guy that picked us up from the bus at 2:30 AM.  Maya was our guide, and she was very good.  We went to a couple of viewpoints to see the see the city from above and the volcanoes that surround it.  We then walked around the city, Maya even helped us get cold medicine for me from the pharmacy. It's pretty nice, with interesting squares and, of course, cathedrals.  They have an interesting way of displaying Jesus on the cross that I've never seen before.  They put things on there that were used at the time of the crucifixion.  These include the spear used by the soldiers to check if he was alive, the ladder used to take him down, and other things like that.  We then completed the day with a tour of the Santa Catalina monastery, which was like its own city in the 1700s.  It’s amazing how big it is.  Each sister had their own little house, and there were streets and shops and everything.  All inside the walls of the monastery. 

On Maya’s recommendation, we had dinner at Chi Cha across the street from the Monastery, it was pretty good.  deb saved me from using tap water to wash down the medicine we got at the pharmacy.  Back to the hotel to medicate me and try to get sleep.  A good day, other than how crappy I felt.