Lima&Arequipa

1-2 Day in Lima

Lima is not as beautiful as everyone always writes. That's right. The city is somehow constantly surrounded by a gray haze due to its location by the sea, so you can quickly get a sunburn even without bright sunshine. After we had unloaded our suitcases, we walked around in our neighborhood Miraflores (more of a rich neighborhood here in Lima) and had something to eat. But since we were pretty tired from the 12-hour flight, we didn't stay too long and went to bed relatively quickly. Terrible night due to fatigue and jet lag. The next morning, Mom and I had breakfast at the hotel and took a taxi to the center of Lima. The city was not really awake yet and apparently, tourists here don't leave their houses until 10 am. At half past 8 in the morning, everything was still closed. We were at the famous main square Plaza Mayor and then walked through the streets. At noon, we went to Mercado Central - Lima's culinary hub. There we had ceviche (Peru's national dish). It's the finest raw fish in a lemon marinade. Sweet potatoes and popped corn are served with it. Absolutely delicious! Then we tried beef prepared in Peruvian style. The market was really gigantic. There were geese, chickens, pig heads, and beef legs everywhere. Definitely not for weak stomachs or vegetarians. A visit to the Chinatown (by the way, we only saw a handful of Chinese people there) and a coffee later, we took the bus up to the famous Christ statue. Great viewpoint. After that, we took a taxi back to Miraflores. We also walked around there and since we didn't feel like searching for a long time, we spontaneously treated ourselves to a 30cm sub at Subway :)

We continued walking along the coastal road to the hotel and ended the day.

Today we are heading to the next destination at an altitude of about 2000 meters. Arequipa domestic flight is next, so off to the Lima airport!

3-4 Day in Arequipa

The domestic flight to Arequipa took a lot of time yesterday. Checking in, dropping off luggage, and the waiting time until the flight finally takes off is quite annoying. But a coffee at Starbucks makes everything more bearable :) Upon arrival in Arequipa, we immediately noticed the huge temperature difference. While it was a sweltering 28 degrees in Lima, here it's almost freezing with cloudy skies. We were picked up at the airport and taken to the hotel. This hotel is really beautiful, located in a kind of courtyard and everywhere it's green and planted. The rooms are spacious and clean. Mom and I went to the city center and visited small shops right at the market. The highlight of the day was definitely our guinea pig dinner. It tasted like a mix of rabbit and chicken. The skin around it is a bit tough but very crispy. Here, popped corn is always served with it. Delicious and like a kind of peanut! We were thrilled and now feel like real Peruvians 😄. In the evening, we tried Peru's national drink (Pisco Sour) at the hotel and snuggled up in bed. Today is free for us.

In the morning, after a very rich breakfast, we set off and went to the most famous monastery in Arequipa (Santa Catalina). This was very impressive because the nuns and novices were trained here and the monastery is like a 'city within a city'. The colors of the monastery were in a very strong shade of reddish-brown and deep blue. Very pretty. With a tour guide, we learned a lot about the monastery and the former residents and learned interesting things about life in the women's monastery. After that, we strolled through the central market among the locals and let ourselves be surprised once again by the foreign culture. Definitely not hygienic in comparison to Europe 😄 Around noon, we took a tour with the tourist bus to see more of the city and get to know the spectacular squares.

In the end, the bus tour was rather unexciting. Then we went to the same traditional restaurant as yesterday and feasted on ceviche (marinated raw fish) and pollo (chicken).

Tonight, we will be picked up by a guide at 3:30 am (!!!) and then climb the Colca Canyon.