We discovered that Gate 1 tours stay at luxurious hotels. On October 4, 2022, we flew to Arequipa, in the south of Peru. Our hotel was the Costa del Sol. Our room was decorated with dark, Spanish Colonial furniture, with heavy beams on the ceiling, the hotel walls were pink stucco, and there was even a huge turtle in the garden in the back.
Our trip is shown on this map. We began in Lima (A), flew to Arequipa (B), and then traveled on to Colca Canyon (C), Puno (D), Cusco (E) and Machu Pichu (F). Aguas Calientes is the name of the village near Machu Pichu.
After arriving in Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru, we first drove to a viewpoint where we could see one of the three volcanos encircling the city. Downtown Arequipa is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the Spanish Colonial buildings carved from "sillar" (white volcanic rock).
Everywhere we went in Peru, there were shops selling handmade souvenirs. It took me ten days out of our two week tour, but I finally satisfied my acquisitiveness and didn't even look anymore!
One of the enticing types of souvenirs was miniature, stuffed llamas, with real llama wool. I bought a few to decorate the table for my Peruvian dinner, as well as several alpaca wool table runners.
Another enticing souvenir was children's hand knitted hats with animal faces on them. Mike bought a few for Audrey and Calder Burke, and I bought a few for my Christmas table.
Another feature of Gate 1 tours is the excellent meals. We ate lunch at the Sol de Mayo, sitting under beach umbrellas in a lush garden and listening to a musician play Peruvian songs.
I ordered a delicious rice and seafood dish, which reminded me of Spanish paella.
Our guide, Raul, brought around platters of the Peruvian national dish, fried guinea pig. Every part of the poor little pig was breaded, including his ears and his feet! Mike said that guinea pig tastes "like chicken," but I couldn't bear to take a bite!
The highlight of our visit to Arequipa was our visit to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. This convent takes up a whole city block, and it is surrounded by high walls. It was founded in 1580 by a rich widow and it sheltered nuns for 400 years. There were fascinating displays on the nuns' lives and interesting religious art. The convent was also stunningly beautiful, and all of us with cameras could not stop taking pictures!
We walked through cubicles where the nuns lived and worshipped.
We passed through the kitchens where they cooked their meals and made food to sell.
There were also touching momentos, such as this antique wheelchair.
And there was religious art from centuries past.
But the most memorable part of the convent was the beautiful corridors and gardens.
We continued our walking tour past Arequipa's cathedral, fronting the Plaza de Armas, the main city square.
Arequipans are proud people with fervent political beliefs, and so there have been regular demonstrations in this square.
The square is bordered on three sides with white volcanic buildings with colonnades and balconies, and on the fourth side by the cathedral.
We also traipsed through the city market. I was amazed at the sheer number of different types of tropical fruits being sold, as well as the vibrant flowers.
Our guide also led us to the shops selling folk remedies, including herbs, potions, and charms. Throughout Peru, the Catholic religion and remnants of pagan religions exist side by side.
After walking several miles around unique Arequipa, we were ready to return to our beautiful hotel for dinner and rest.
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