Alpacas: Friend, Food, or Offering? {Arequipa}

Not just alpacas, but BABY alpacas! Journey absolutely loves alpacas, so this was a fun experience for her to hold a little one! Women walk their alpacas thru the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa and Cusco offering photos in exchange for soles (money).  

Our friend, Carlos drove us downtown and his daughter, Esther, showed us around. Our first stop was Mercado San Camilo, the market where you can buy just about anything. Fruits, vegetables, meat, fresh juices and prepared foods, clothes, supplies, flowers, local-style hats, gifts, even items used as offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth). This two-story market is massive.

I find the meat section pretty interesting, though, poor Journey feels traumatized every time we walk by these counters. I am sparing you the graphic photos of cow heads with eyeballs sin skin, footlong tongues and the bowl of chicken heads. One day we were walking by the house and two men were parked in front of the butcher shop. There was a skinless cow in the bed of their truck and they were using a hacksaw to cut parts from the cow. Things are different here. 

This is the shop that sells items as offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth). From conversations with people, it seems one would use these for good luck or for a specific request. You will see dead, dried, baby alpacas hanging above the shop. These are considered a higher level of offering. I read these are not killed specifically for this purpose, but died and are then used. The dark ones are more valuable, as they are more rare. Another shop was selling alpaca embryos. Again, I'll spare you the photos. These are often used by those either suffering from infertility or infant loss, in the hopes that Mother Earth will bless them with a child.

We were warned not to step out the back door of the market as it can be a dangerous area. We were thankful for the guidance. This is a very busy place and theft is an issue. 

Just a few blocks away is the Plaza de Armas, the town square with the cathedral on one side and two-story arched buildings with shops and restaurants on the other three sides.

Events, parades and dances are held here regularly. Today a section was roped off for men carving sillar rock, a white volcanic rock that was used to build many of the buildings in Arequipa, leading to the nickname "White City". The carving details they accomplished were really impressive.

 Before touring the Santa Catalina Monastery, which I'll cover in the next post, we ate lunch at a restaurant balcony overlooking the square. A tear rolled down Journey's cheek when she saw alpaca on the menu. 

We stopped at one of the ice cream shops to try the local specialty- queso helado. Yes, it translates to "frozen cheese", but it's actually quite tasty. It's made with condensed milk, coconut, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

There are multiple miradors (viewpoints) throughout the city. Yanahuara is one with three arches that look out over the city and towards Misti Volcano. There are some good restaurants nearby too. 

El Brujo is a vegan restaurant with a delicious mushroom ceviche! We also enjoyed dessert waffles at another shop on the square.

Our first visit to downtown Arequipa felt overwhelming because the traffic was heavy and there were so many people on the narrow sidewalks. Before we left the area, we decided to go back and try it again, this time avoiding the busiest areas. I'm so glad we did, because it was a much better experience the second time.  Arequipa is a city that is loved by many and has a lot to offer.

I'm not sure what was going on here, but we certainly enjoyed watching this dancing procession that stopped traffic for a few minutes. Look at those fabulous outfits!

One of the cathedrals near the square has golden walls inside.

We surprised Journey with a visit to Mundo Alpaca, a place that shows you the whole alpaca product process. First, we met the alpacas.

We saw the raw wool, separated by color, before it's turned into thread.

And we saw one of the women weaving the wool into an extremely detailed tapestry. I'm still amazed at the level of detail and designs they can accomplish row by tiny row.

Finally, they have some alpaca products available for sale. 

Before we left, I had to try this totally crazy Oreo milkshake! Wow! 

And Journey had to hold another baby.

Trading beaches for snow-capped volcanos in Peru

When we first started talking about exploring Peru, a friend connected us with Carlos, who runs a couple non-profit organizations in Arequipa. After a couple conversations, he invited us to come visit. He has an amazing story and is making a huge impact here in Peru. I'll explain more in a separate post, but if you want to know more now, watch this video introducing three of his projects. You'll also get a bird's eye view over the city of Arequipa and a look at the famous San Camilo Market, a bright and busy place.

When Carlos picked us up from the airport, we were shocked by the snow-capped volcanos, high desert landscape, and dry weather. Arequipa sits at 7,661ft, and when I awoke the first morning, altitude sickness had kicked in. The local cure is found in coca leaves, so we headed to the market. My symptoms of headaches and exhaustion were relieved with some coca tea and by day three, I was fine.

One of our first nights here we experienced an earthquake! We could feel the shake and hear the rumbling for about a minute and a half. A few minutes later we received an alert on our phones telling us it registered at 4.8 and was centered 27 miles away. A link took us to Google where we could report whether we felt it or not. We were impressed with their emergency alert system!

We stayed in Zamacola, just a few blocks from the local market. Each vendor brings their cart or trailer and sets up each morning. In the evenings, most have left and been replaced with food carts. 

Most of the photos are taken from the local park, which gives a great view of three volcanos: Misti (the cone-shaped one), Chachani, (the wider one seen in the airport photo) and Pichu Pichu. I loved being able to see the volcanos in every direction!

While most of the area is very dry, there is a green valley just a few blocks from the house where crops are grown. 

I could have sworn the sidewalks were trying to kill me. This is just one example of the strange and unexpected courses it takes. Sometimes there's a channel cutting thru, or a low building where you need to duck your head, a step, a drop, a steep slant. The only thing to expect is the unexpected. After some trips, we decided to take our chances in the street where it was flat, but drivers do NOT stop for pedestrians, so you have to always be paying good attention.

Sunset in Zamacola

From this location we have so much planned: Exploring Arequipa, Chilina Ecological Park, Colca Canyon, Laguna de Salinas, the Monastery and spending time with the children at Casa Hogar Alegria.