Hostal Arequipa Suites Plaza

frozen gold

by richiecdisc

Indeed, there was a frozen yellow concoction at the end of her spoon so we quickly ordered two and dug our tongues into one of the tastiest frozen deserts I have ever had. It was even better than the one at the restaurant that now seemed a hybrid of the drink we had earlier in the day and this near ice cream one we now enjoyed. It seemed the one we had earlier was more of a beverage as leche is milk in Spanish. The more solid one was oddly named queso after cheese, perhaps, as it was solid though there was no discernible cheese flavor! It was a great feeling to unravel this mystery finally and I was determined to have it again before I left town the next day. As is always the case, things never go as planned. I never got back to this place until nightfall and it was already closed. I couldn’t find it anywhere and was so disappointed. I woke up early the next day and we went on a wild goose chase looking for the object of my desire only to find none of them open. I guess it was a bit early and not many Arequipos are looking for a frozen desert for breakfast! Doreen noticed a fancy confectioner just off the main square was open for breakfast. Though I normally disdain such touristy operations and I doubted they would have it, Doreen persevered and said it was our last chance. She asked and the waiter said yes, though with a sheepish grin meant that no one ever asked for it that early in the day. The copper bowl wasn’t in operation yet, but he pulled some of the frozen gold left over from the previous day from his freezer. It took him a while to dig out two dishes of it. It wasn’t as creamy as the fresh one from the day before, but it was still great, and I relished the chance to have it one more time. I thanked Doreen a million times on our way to the airport. The best part was I had created a monster. She wanted it almost as badly as I did and had turned out to be an even better “food hunter” than me.

Fantastic fruit juices and view

by adelinemmc about El Mirador de la Boveda

This restaurant is in a suburb of Arequipa, on the other side of teh river, very near the famous Mirador de Yanahuara.

We did not try the food as we visited in the middle of the afternoon but there was a short menu of typical Peruvian stuff.

Instead we tried the freshly made fruit juices. The fruit are displayed on a table so you can see what they look like and the waiter (owner?) will try his best to explain what they are.

I tried tumbo, which is similar to passion fruit but not as sharp and it was delicious! My partner tried Cocona, then pineapple.

It took quite a while for the juices to be prepared but it was all worth it as they were all marvellous. I wish I could get tumbo in London as the taste was imprinted in my mind from that single delicious drink. The tumbo juice!

the cathedral

by willy_wonka

stunning in the afternoon sun, showing off its glorious silar architecture, is the city's main cathedral. originally dating from 1656, the cathedral has numerous times been repaired, due to the many earthquakes that this region receives. this cathedral is also 'famous' in peru as being the only one that stretches the whole length of a plaza.

walking inside and it was typical of most cathedral's we had been to in peru - stunning! this one though had a special extra that set it apart - the vatican flag. apparently only 100 basilicas around the world are allowed to display this special flag, and arequipa's cathedral is one of those.

entrance is free, so do take a look!

Colca Canyon

by Amareyui

Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world(the nearby Cotahuasi Canyon, at 3354m deep, is the deepest).
Although not as awe-inspiring as Grand Canyon, Colca is still well worth the effort to go.

Santa Catalina Monastery

by acemj

Some of the individual quarters for the nuns have little sun-drenched patios like this one.

The Cloister of Oranges. We were here in September, which is the beginning of spring/end of winter, so we didn't get the fragrance of Sevilla, but I imagine it would be nice when the trees are packed with ripe oranges.

Burgos Street. All the small streets are named after Spanish cities (e.g. Burgos, Toledo, Granada . . . ).

There are many individual kitchens throughout the complex.

The laundry facilities were basic, but functional.

The Great Cloister is an arcaded space sitting the shadow of the Church.

The thick outer wall of the monastery as seen from Santa Catalina Street.

Ryan and Mark on top of a roof in the complex.