Our Great Adventure: Arequipa Day 282 27/06/2015

You can see the main square from the dinning area at the Kuntur Wasi and we were both a little sceptical that the Andulicia bus was no where in sight. Maybe we shouldn't have joked about the tuk tuk yesterday! We packed, checked out and walked to the shop where we'd bought our tickets from. The guy behind the counter was very jovial, told us the bus was in Chivay and gave us our money back. Reyna buses also travel between Cabanaconde and Arequipa and, with their bus parked on the square, we headed to the shop and bought tickets for the next departure which unfortunately wasn't until 1400 which would mean we wouldn't get back to Arequipa until c1930. Still, at least we'd get back. As we sat in the square wondering how to pass the time numerous westerners appeared. They'd all come on tours and were waiting to be picked up for the journey back to Arequipa. We decided to see if we could get seats on one of the minibuses and were successful at our first ask at a price of BS50, BS16 more expensive than the local bus but it was a better guarantee of getting back and would arrive much earlier despite stopping off on route as part of the tour programme. We set off just after 1000 and were lucky enough to see condors gliding on the termals as we passed Cruz del Condor. They certainly are magnificent birds from a distance and we recalled how lucky we were to have watched a family with young chicks learning to fly when we first visited Patagonia 13 years ago. The minibus stopped at a couple of lookout points on the road to Chivay before reaching La Calera hot springs. Lucky for us nobody wanted to go into the springs which meant an even earlier arrival time back in Arequipa. From here we headed to Chivay for their lunch stop. We waited on the minibus eating our sandwiches and crisps whilst everyone else tucked into their buffet lunch. We set off to head back up to the high plateau, stopping briefly at the mirador de volcanos and by a herd of llamas for photos, arriving back in Arequipa just after 1600. After dropping off our bags and showering at the hotel we headed back out to visit the city's cathedral. It dominates the main plaza stretching for the whole length of the square. Originally built in 1656 it has since been destroyed by fire and earthquakes. The inside is surprisingly plain and baroque in style. Unfortunately a large area was cordoned off to visitors including underneath one of the stain glass windows which apparently has the head of Lenin depicted on it! It was still relatively early so we had a drink in the pedestrian lane behind the church before looking for somewhere to eat. We'd spotted a restaurant near the Plaza San Fransisco but on closer inspection the menu was a bit restricted for Diane (the fussy eater!) and quite pricey so we headed back to near where we'd had a drink and ate in Misto. Surprisingly given all the tourists around it was very quiet, although the food wasn't up to much so maybe that was why.