After the disaster that is Nazca, we needed a reset. Somewhere to shake off the frustration, breathe a little deeper, and remind ourselves of why we’re doing this because I can tell you now it isn’t to wade through streets of poo and rubbish and call that culture! (Looking at Nazca).
after our over night bus that I have now called (escape from Nazca) that was an amazing bus journey, I might do a separate post on that one day but for now back to the story.
I am now posting having been in Arequipa a few days, and from the moment we arrived, it felt like a weight had lifted. The streets are calm, clean but still full of life, the architecture is beautiful, and there’s just something about the place that makes you want to explore. After the chaos, sewage and letdowns of the past week, this city has been exactly what we needed.
Arequipa is known as La Ciudad Blanca The White City because of its dazzling colonial buildings made from volcanic stone. Walking through its streets, everything feels open and inviting, with wide plazas, intricate facades, and a sense of history woven into every alleyway.
The Plaza de Armas is stunning, with its grand cathedral stretching across one side and arcades framing the square. It’s the kind of place you could sit for hours, just watching life unfold. Locals chatting on benches, street performers drawing a small crowd, people going about their day there’s a rhythm to it all that feels effortless.
Arequipa has that perfect mix of history and atmosphere that makes it easy to just be. We’ve spent our time getting lost in the side streets, stumbling upon hidden courtyards, and soaking in the beauty of the old buildings they are something special.
One of the highlights so far has been the Santa Catalina Monastery. It’s a city within a city a labyrinth of brightly painted walls, peaceful courtyards, and tiny rooms that once housed nuns in near total isolation. It’s quiet, but not in a sombre way. More like stepping into another time, where life moved slower, and every corner tells a story.
The monastery is massive, full of little details that make you pause a blue washed alley here, a sunlit archway there. It’s the kind of place that makes you forget about time for a while and for us, nearly 5 hours rolled by before we knew it!
It’s funny how quickly things can turn around. A few days ago, we were stuck in a place that felt completely wrong for more reasons than I can even list, we were frustrated and disappointed / sad for how people live and yet now, we are somewhere that just fits, this a place that has not given up on life but in fact drives forward while embracing the past.
There’s still so much to see places we haven’t explored yet, things we’ve only heard about. We haven’t spotted the famous volcanoes yet, but knowing they’re out there, watching over the city, and that just adds to the sense of something bigger. We will find you!
For now, we’re just enjoying the feeling of being in a place that is thriving and that has not given up on life. if the rest of our time here is anything like these first few days, we might just have found one of our favourite stops yet.
Onwards and upwards!
P.s I took my phone to some local shop, who on the face of it looked more dodgy than Del Boy but as asked they replaced the battery for 30 quid, and to be honest they we’re good at their job, I watched them fix my phone and it felt cheap to me and having replaced many phone batteries in my time I could see they did everything correct.
Speaking to our Airbnb owner tonight, though, he said I was ripped off! Honestly I think it was cheap, what do you think?
