Arequipa (Matarani), Peru (Friday, March 02)

It was a tight squeeze getting SIRENA into the port of Matarani, from which Arequipa was 160 km inland.

Guano-berg to starboard Captain!
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And I swear to God, a woman asked me if it was snow.

We had some uncertainty about today's tour.  It involved a 2.5 hour bus ride to Arequipa which we would visit for 2.5 hours before spending another 2.5 hours getting back to the ship.  And incidentally, they announced that there would be no restroom stops going to and from the city.

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Today's Tour:  AREQUIPA & SANTA CATALINA MONASTERY

Enjoy a visit to Arequipa or "The White City" - a nickname taken because of the pearly white volcanic rock, sillar, that is used in its buildings. From the pier in Matarani, it's a 2 1/2-hour drive inland to Arequipa.  Upon arrival, you will enjoy a short orientation drive of this UNESCO World Heritage city, where you will see many landmark sights, including the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. Following your panoramic tour, you will proceed to Santa Catalina Monastery where you will have a guided walking tour of this historic monastery that was built in 1580.  Today, it is one of the most important and impressive religious monuments in Peru. The convent remained a mystery to the world until 1972 when local authorities opened the site up to tourism. Although the nuns remain mostly out of site, they all come from wealthy families and have taken vows of poverty.  The actual complex is quite large and has many interesting features to see.

Before returning to the pier, you will have some free time at leisure at "Patio Ekeko", a gallery with stunning craft shops offering jewelry, handicrafts, alpaca clothing and furniture. A boxed dinner will be offered on board the coach during your return to the pier.

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As we boarded the bus, one concern was relieved (perhaps a bad choice of word) when we noted the presence of a restroom on board.  The concern returned when we saw it was locked.  

What a climb-out from the port.  The road wound its way up to over 3,000 feet before we came to a plain.  

In the middle of the plain, we rolled into green vegetation.  Irrigation had converted part of the desert into farmland. 

After crossing the plain and bisecting the Pan-American Highway, the road started climbing again.  At one point the altimeter on my watch topped 7,300 feet. This second climb took us over the crest of an ancient volcano, after which we descended into the crater, climbing part way up the other side before coming to Arequipa.  

According to our guide, a 17th century bridge built by the Spanish.

Arequipa is the second biggest city in Peru with a population approaching two million residents.  

There being no direct route into the center of the city, and the next best thing being under construction, the bus twisted and turned its way there.  

As our party disembarked the bus, you could almost hear eyeballs click (or should I say slosh) back and forth looking for the restrooms.  Several blocks of walking later, we arrived at the first stop on our walking tour, the Santa Catalina Monastery.  Many of us would have joined the order if that was what it took to get to the restrooms.

Having attended to a basic worldly matter, we began our tour of the monastery.  

Communal laundry facilities (used by the nuns' servants)

One of a suite of rooms occupied by a nun and her servants.

The kitchen well for potable water.

The monastery was a large complex, originally built for the second daughter of wealthy families.  In other words, if you were the second daughter, you were involuntarily sent here and expected to take a vow of poverty.  In those days "poverty" was a relative term.  A nun would have her own suite of rooms and several servants to wait on her every need.  Her parents got to make regular, generous contributions to the order.  Nevertheless, it was a gilded cage because once the second daughter went into the monastery, she could never leave.  

Another nun's accommodations.

Twenty-some nuns still reside in the monastery, but they come from all backgrounds.

We walked to the Plaza de Armas.  The cathedral was closed until 5:00 PM...

...so we walked through the center of the plaza and then on to the Iglesia de la Compania. 

Circling back to the Plaza de Armas via a three-story, high-end shops complex, it was just after 5:00 PM, so we could enter the cathedral.  

Small part of mural in the shopping complex.

Returning outside, we went to the rendezvous point, from which we walked to the bus. 

The steps in front of the cathedral were a popular gathering spot.

Pam with a friend from the Netherlands.

Loved the idea, but alas not the reality, of dining on this 2nd floor balcony.

A view across the plaza.

The bus had to weave its way out of the city in rush hour traffic, then retrace its route to Matarani.  Although we have been told by scientists that the earth is shrinking, it seemed to make no noticeable different in the length of the drive.  The drive was more boring because it was dark. 

It was really, really nice to step down off the bus and board SIRENA.  

Today's trip to Arequipa was interesting, letting us see not only the city, but some of inland Peru.  The transit time versus time there ratio was bad. The tour would have been much better if the ratio had been closer to 1:1 than 2:1.  Going both ways in daylight would have been a plus.