Arequipa (part two)

26th/27th Oct - Day 14/15

Our first day back in Arequipa. After the trek we decided to have a well deserved rest. In the late afternoon we went out to grab some bits we needed; sun lotion is a must here, and an ice cream. In the town we saw a massive crowd of people outside the gates of the Cathedral, we thought a celebrity had turned up or that it was related to the minors protests. Turns out it was one of the leading investigators connected with the mysterious death that happened at the Colca Canyon!!  I also taught Cindy and Rhianna the famous card game: s**t-head.

In the evening we found our way to beautiful pizzeria, and also hooked up with another Dutch girl that had completed the trek through the canyon with us.

The next day was much the same. We´ve convinced ourselves to chill for the rest of the week, as we found out that Puno doesn´t have as much to offer as Arequipa. This was great as I was also a bit ill. The evening took us to a great restaraunt called Crepisimo, an amazing meal with a great selection of savoury and sweet crepes, Coplestons: this definitly tops the pancake houses of Center Parcs! The Table had Ludo hand-painted on it so we asked if they had the pieces for it.. they did, so we ended up sitting there for a further 2 hours playing, and I think being the loudest people in the restarant! Ludo is an exciting intense game, and so much more fun when you´re older, who knew!?

http://crepisimo.com/esp/creperie.html

27th Oct - Day 16

We´re getting used to having breakfast in our room that has a cute little table for two. It´s still just bread and jam, but  you also get an egg at this hostel, 10 points La Reyna. They also offer a cheap laundry service, definitely getting used to the service :o) We went for a picnic today, the park´s still closed but we found a nice patch of grass close by. We wandered round town and stumbled across (find the name) church. We went through the church, which had amazing architecture, and at the back we found a room that had been totally covered with hand-painted flowers, cherubs and exotic birds. The vibrant colours and art nouveau style was breathtaking.

it was called - Iglesia de la Compañía

There was yet another street festival going on. This was to celebrate one of the monastry leaders last reign in charge. The celebrations will be going on all week and will end with Halloween. In the day time they have a siren that goes off to signify the begining. This scared that crap out of Leroy and I the first time as its exactly the same as the air bombers siren; when Leroy asked at reception what it was he was laughed at a little; phew! The loud bangs that also happen irregularly in the day keep making me jump too. That night we tried a vegetarian restaurant with Cindy and Rhianna, more games, more games.

28th Oct - Day 17

We went our for lunch today at a place called De Ja Vu, hmmm sounds familiar! After some alpaca steak sandwiches we had fun with the shoot and select setting on Leroys camera. here´s what we ended up with . . .

Today was get a hat day for the Browns, so we went into town to bimble round the markets and shops. It´s crazy that the same shops can exist next to each other, and still survive! Having about 10 shops next to each other that sell the same thing seems to be a regular occurence here. We found great buys then went to dinner.

Not sure about these ones?

In the steets just outside our hostel there was a firework display. A massive bamboo tower was the main structure of the display with many sparkling crackles that ran in every direction around, and off the top of the tower. This was a great bit of free entertainment just before dinner.

Surprisingly we ended up in a really fancy reastaurant but the set menu was only S.28 each (£7 each) For that you got a starting cocktail of Pisco sours and Coca Sours, our first in Arequipa. A first starter of great bread and chutneys, a large starter, a large main meal, a desert AND a drink (of course we had beer). We were shocked and lapped up our surroundings.  

  

30th/31st  Oct - Day 18/19

After popping to the supermacardo I ended up playing cards with a guy called Wes, while Leroy battled with the bad computer downstairs. Wes had a strange cocktail of an accent; a mixture of the Birmingham and a lot of Australian. Wes is on a great 9 month backpackers package deal, it sounds very worthwhile but you have less freedom. In the evening we went to dinner with Cindy, Rhianna and Wes. A place on top with great views of the Cathedral. Wes was off to Cuzco that night so we said goodbye and have planned to meet again. We went back to De Ja Vu to play Ludo and have a cocktail. We ended up staying there all night and met a group of Argentinian guys.. They fancied Leroy !!

Halloween: Crepisimo was a great way to start the day, ice cream and Rasberry Culi Crepes, mmmmm. This place is definitley my decided favorite in Arequipa. We took the girls back to Los Leños, the pizza place with the graffitti on the walls, and a stone-baked oven. This was Leroy´s decided favorite place to eat, though Cindy wasn´t happy when Leroy said he thought a spice was paprika, only for her to find out she´d just covered her pizza with a spicy powder, woops!

The whole town was decorated with great Halloween dress-up. There were so many kids and adults about town also enjoying the night in halloween style. Leroy and I grabbed a coffee so we could sit and people-watch; the costumes were great. We wanted to get involved but to go all out for one night didn´t add up.

1st/2nd/3rd Nov - Day 20/21/22

Our last days in Arequipa as our bus tickets are sorted to Puno. We´re really ready to move on and explore the festival. At the station we found a great selection of breads, a bit strange that they all have a little porcelain face attached to them! They put them on the bread as a tradition, and sign of respect for family members that have passed on. I found a little ginger girls face, it looked like a female Robin Hood, so naturally I was sold.



another bread produce we liked

We popped back to Cappuccino. This place does the best coffee and cake in the world, FACT. We had our final meal at Manolos, and on the way home we saw an artist in the streets making great landscapes using spray paint.

Packed up and ready to bimble round town for the last day, we put our bags in storage and left La Reyna hostel. As soon as we got out the door the universe made us collide with a colourful guy called Oscar. A hippy looking Peruvian with a groovy red beard and a beaten guitar, he had many feathers hanging from it, and was also carrying a tambarine. We got chatting straight away, and as Leroy wanted a small guitar we went with him to his friend´s shop. He got a sweet guitar at a great price, and having a little jam in the shop was just the ticket!

         

We ended up spending the day with Oscar, hanging out in the small square gardens of the church, a popular place for bohemians to sell their groovy jewelery and metal sculptures. He took us to the Mirador, a view point to see the whole of Arequipa.We shared a lot of our music interests leading Oscar to show us not only some tradtional Arequipian music on his guitar, but also ´Yellow Submarine´and ´Greensleeves´; brilliant. After a beer, Leroy and I needed to go and get day backpacks for Machu Picchu, so we went to the markets, and a great outdoor shop. In the evening we hooked up with Oscar again for some wine, we stumbled across a free gig, in honour of the start of the Puno festivals; to celebrate the life of the first Inka. The music was traditional Folklorica: I got pulled into the dancing circle that passed round the band; twas great fun. That evening we got our bus to Puno using a cheaper but just as good service Tulsa.