Lima to Arequipa

Our last night in Lima, Wednesday, April 6th, was not completely successful. I couldn't figure out how to set my new watch; I had scratched my glasses so badly they were unusable; the streets were insanely busy while we tried to find a restaurant so we ended up eating nuggets and fries at KFC; Anita started seeing flashing lights that weren't there out of her right eye; and the cars on the street below our balcony beeped their horns incessantly.
However, the next morning looked a little brighter. I figured out my watch; I started using my old spare glasses (without one plastic nose piece); Anita's flashing lights stopped for the day at least and we had a good breakfast that was included with our hotel room. After packing up, we checked out and asked for a cab to the airport. The price we got was 60 soles ($24 CA) when we had only paid 40 soles on arrival. We argued but didn't want to chance a random cab on the street (not always safe) so we finally accepted. The desk clerk must have felt a little sheepish because when our cab arrived the price turned out to be 45 soles. The traffic in Lima is very heavy so it took about 3/4 of an hour to get to the airport but at least we arrived without problems for a reasonable price. Check-in was a breeze, our flight departed on time and we even got complimentary beer and a snack enroute. Once again our luggage arrived with us, which is always a pleasure when we see it coming around the carousel. Generally, we expect the worst.
For 30 soles, a taxi took us to our hotel, the Hostal Santa Marta, in the old part of town about 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas, the main plaza in every city. It was raining during the drive and there was a lot of skidding on the steep cobblestone streets. That kept us alert. Our hotel is very clean, secure, pleasant and in an excellent location. Our first night we walked 2 1/2 blocks to a Turkish restaurant where we had a light meal. We were tired so we headed back to our room and on the way we bought some water and a box of the same wine Anita has been drinking in Ecuador for only 13 soles ($5.25 CA) for 1 litre. We were paying up to $8 US in Ecuador.
The next morning after our hotel breakfast, we set out to see some of the old part of town. We walked around the Plaza de Armas and into the big cathedral that stretches for the whole north side of the plaza. A priest was outside with just 2 folding chairs in a quiet spot, hearing confessions. He and the confessor sat in the open facing each other. The plaza has lots of trees and flowers and is very beautiful.
Arequipa is known as the white city because many of the buildings are built from white "Sillar" volcanic stone. A nice city to be in.
Eventually, we decided to visit the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, which is the Dominican convent, which covers 5 acres just northwest of the plaza. The convent was built in 1579, less than 40 years after the arrival of the Spaniards, and part of it is still in use by the nuns while the other part has been opened up to tourism. We spent about 2 hours walking around and saw lots of interesting artifacts. Everything was well labelled in several languages so there was no need for a guide. We learned that in the late 1600s the nuns were limited to having only one maid and a slave girl. The convent sustained itself mostly through dowries paid by the families of novices. The nuns took vows of silence, chastity and obedience and their main purpose was prayer to rescue souls in purgatory. Although they were cloistered for life, it didn't look like a particularly bad life for the times, perhaps except for the occasions when they felt they hadn't lived up to their vows and wore barbed wire undergarments or whipped themselves. Apparently that wasn't very often. The convent is like a city within a city with several streets and many buildings. There was a whole laundry area outside with many big scrubbing tubs into which water would run from a stone trough; there were numerous kitchens and of course numerous areas for quiet prayer. We could see el Misti, one of the local volcanos, from the roof. It was an interesting tour.
By the time we were done our feet were tired and we were hungry. For 28 soles, the Inkara restaurant behind the cathedral had lasagna and a glass of wine. We ate lunch outside at a table in the cobblestone alley between the walls of Sillar stone. Nice ambiance.
Back in our room we organized our gear for our trip early the next morning to the Colca Canyon. Eventually, we were ready and hungry again so we walked back down the street to Hatunpas, a restaurant that serves only varieties of potatoes covered with different toppings and sauces. For 35 soles total, including tip, we each had a plate of potatoes and shared a beer. It sounds awful but was surprisingly good.