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20th November
A short minibus ride from the bus station and we got to our hostel rather bleary eyed. We checked in, showered and freshened up before reconvening as a group an hour later.
We then walked around Arequipa very quickly as Eli showed us the main highlights before we arrived at our main destination, a restaurant for some brunch together. After a couple of delicious sandwiches we said goodbye to the group and started our home-made walking tour starting with the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral, the largest in Peru. We did a bit of tourist shopping near the Plaza before spending a reflective moment in Santa Catalina church.
Next we wandered along the main street past shops such as McDonalds, Starbucks and Burger King before taking a right and walking a few blocks to the local market. The local market consisted of different areas selling different items but the main area was given over to a highly impressive and busyl fruit and veg area. Wandering around we took a break at a fruit juice stall to enjoy a freshly-squeezed fruit juice or two.
We then walked to the other side of Arequipa and marvelled at the view of the mountains from a bridge over the river. El Misti, the perfectly conical mountain, being the most recognisable within our gaze.
Returning to the hostel we relaxed in front of cable tv (!) as we were still not as awake as we might have been following the night bus. At around 7 we met up with the group again and we went to a great restaurant overlooking the main square. Lit stylishly in the night sky, we sat outside with the restaurant providing us ponchos to protect against the chill as we tucked into our Alpaca steaks, a speciality in these parts.
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