Southern Peru-Bolivia Day 3

Day 03 - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - Fly from Lima to Arequipa - The White City; Explore Yanahuara Area; Traditional Dishes Lunch; El Misti Volcano; Dinner on Our Own

Lima Altitude - Sea Level / Arequipa Altitude -- 2328 - 7638

By 6:30 AM we were up and ready for another wonderful day. The skies were gray; Lima is known as the city with no shadows. The temperature was 64 degrees and with 83% humidity.

Our luggage needed to be outside of our door at 8:00. After breakfast, Segundo picked us up for our drive to the airport for our flight to Arequipa.

During our drive, Pepé told us even more about his country. A dual citizen with Spanish and Peruvian papers, he was born in Cusco but as a youth, he traveled all over the country with his missionary parents.

Segundo managed the traffic well and we had plenty of time before our flight. Pepé gave us our boarding passes so we could check our bags. We went through security as a group and then gathered to wait until our flight was listed on the monitor.

Vic took a few photos and Gennie met her new best friend, Maria Martinez who told her the best places to shop and eat in Arequipa. Maria and her husband worked for the United Nations and they have lived all over South America.

At 11:45 we stood in line and finally boarded a shuttle that took us to the tarmac and to our LAN Airbus 320. The hour-long flight was very smooth, over the dry deserts of the Andes. The drive would have taken about 10 hours.

We landed in Arequipa, the second largest and richest city in Peru at 1:30, collected our bags, and walked to the bus to meet our driver. Know as the White City, the buildings are primarily made from sillar, a kind of white volcanic stone.

We had great views of Misti and Chachani, both dormant volcanoes. Even though there was a haze from the dust blowing in the air, these pillars seemed to oversee the whole valley. Pikchu Pikchu was not visible today.

As it was close to 2:00, we went directly to lunch. Our lunch was in the wealthy neighborhood of Yanahuara.

We walked to a very nice restaurant called Ocopa where we had our choice of pork, beef stew, a chili relleno, and of course a variety of different kinds of potatoes, all traditional dishes from this part of Southern Peru.

After lunch, we checked into the beautiful hacienda hotel and had our first cup of coca tea. At 4:30 we met in the lobby for a walk around the neighborhood and to the Museo Santuarios Andinos where we paid reverence to “Juanita”, the Inca Ice Maiden and Lady of Ampato.

The girl was sacrificed and then bundled as an offering to the Inca gods sometime between 1450 and 1480, but the frozen mummy was not discovered until 1995. She was amazingly preserved along with her royal robes, jewelry, pottery, and other appeasements to the gods.

It was only 6:00 when we left the museum. Pepé offered to take us on a walk around the beautifully illuminated city. We heard drummers and fireworks and Pepé found out that tonight was the final Procession of the Lord of Miracles.

One of Peru’s most revered Catholic festivities, we were right in the thick of the procession. As 40 faithful men conveyed the two-ton litter carrying the huge painting of Christ on the silver altar, believers proceeded or followed carrying purple candles.

Beautiful purple and silver banners, flowers, balloons, and drawings on the streets welcomed the procession as it slowly passed. Although, we were squashed in the masses, it was very interesting to observe this acclimation of the faithful in Arequipa.

After the procession passed our corner, we walked with Pepé back to the main square. We decided to get a few pieces of fruit from the grocery store and eat back in our room. Many of our group went on to dinner.

Vic stopped to take a few more night photos and at 7:45 we were back at the hotel, ready to look at the photos, develop the video of the procession, and finish the journal.

We had our refreshing dinner of fresh fruit and then called it a day. The Procession was truly an accidental highlight, but one worthy of the OAT famous “learning and discoveries”!

As we turned off the lights at 11:00, we could still hear the church bells, fireworks, car alarms, and sirens. People would celebrate until early morning.

Accommodations: Hotel San Agustin Posada del Monasterio --- Meals: B & L

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

We are so glad to hear you are having a wonderful trip! It certainly sounds interesting! Blessings!

Hi ay! Thanks for the note. Write to us personally so we know who ay is. Thanks.

Missed yesterday, caught up today. What an inspiring two days. A loved the picture of Alexa. An as usual the beautiful pictures and Video. This is a treat.

The terrain of Peru was different than I thought it was. The Inca Ice Maiden -- amazing thy found her in tact. Y'all do a LOT of walking - we used to too. Keep up the amazing work and don't forget me in the closet or at some dining room. LOL

Day 9: Mediterranean Navigation

Kasbah Cuties

Ramadan Sweets

Trash pickup in the Kasbah

Furniture Maker

Wedding Dresses

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Day 09 - Monday, March 10, 2025 – Day at Sea, Plan D

Our night was quite rough, so the Captain stayed relatively close to the safety of the shore making it possible to see lights of the shoreline cities during the night.

After breakfast,...

Continue Reading Day 9