Well, it has definitely been a busy, fun-filled and action-packed year. It is hard to believe that another year has passed and we are living in yet another country! Sometimes I just have to give my head a shake as I am walking past the 17th century buildings around our new hometown of Arequipa, Peru. Read More
It’s hard to believe we have been in Arequipa over two months. I really don’t know where the time goes and really don’t know how I ever found the hours to work full-time when I did! Once again, I will try to put some effort into this blog now that things have settled down a bit.
Anyone who visits this city notices a few huge landmarks as soon as they have been here a few hours, both natural and man-made. A series of volcanic cones dominate the city skyline; Misti, and the extinct volcanic groups Pikchu Pikchu and Chachani. The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa takes up one complete side of the massive Plaza de Armas, the main city square. Its twin towers are visible from many points in the city. But the massive Santa Catalina Monastery has occupied an entire city block since the 17th century. The original structure was started in 1579.
It is literally a five-minute walk from our condo and on our daily trek to check out what is happening in the Plaza de Armas. We have been walking by the place every day since we arrived and finally took a couple of hour to check it out. It was well worth it. It really is a city in a city. Read More
It took us about 19 hours to get here from Madrid but we are finally settling in to Arequipa, Peru. At each of our stopovers in Bogota and Lima, we ended up having about 5 minutes to get to the correct boarding gate so not a lot of time to even see the airport. We flew with Avianca and they turned out to be a great airline.
We arrived in Arequipa with one less suitcase then we left with from Madrid. The folks at Avianca tracked it down to the airport in Bogota within five minutes and delivered it to our front door the next morning. That was pretty good service. It’s also the first time we have ever lost a suitcase on any airline during our travels.
So we have been here for exactly one week now and just moved into our new place. There are many apartments and houses available to rent but most are unfurnished. We went through a realtor since that is the safest bet, especially for newbies in a foreign country. We also went the totally furnished route since that is the easiest way to start. Read More
