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Plaza de Armas

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Liam Hetherington
Liam Hetherington
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Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas

I sat on an ornate stone balcony sipping an egg-based cocktail and chewing on a llama steak. Ahead the Cathedral glowed gold. Three local musicians played Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence' on panpipes, ignored by the party of women on the next table. The sashes each of the women wore announced their titles - Miss Venezuela, Miss Colombia, Miss Nicaragua - the combined beauty queens of Central and South America. Then a hubbub arose from the square below. A crowd of protesters marched through the Plaza de Armas. In their midst was a flat-bed truck; mounted on its back was a model volcano; puffs of smoke periodically emerged from its fumarole. I turned back to my drink. Just another crazy night in Arequipa.

I have rarely visited a town that seems so perfectly encapsulated by its main square. The plaza is centered on a palm-fringed pedestrian square. Pigeons lark by the fountain, and shoe-shine boys do a roaring trade. There are always musicians around, playing local versions of Beatles classics - Yesterday was a particular fave. The surrounding buildings with their ornately carved balconies are constructed of white sillar, a volcanic stone common to the area. Lit up at night the stonework glows angelically. To show this to best effect the massive cathedral that occupies the entire northern side of the square is spot-lit at night. Inside, it is as empty as a barn, but its exterior carvings, picked out by lights, provide your lasting image of Arequipa. Try and guess which of its towers collapsed in an earthquake as recently as 2001.

The western and eastern porticos of the Plaza provide shade from the Peruvian sun. They provide a home to many different restaurants. Despite being in the heart of town prices are reasonable - competition keeps them keen. You will be approached by waitresses from many of the restaurants with vouchers for special offers. Shop around, and see where you can get the best bargain. Having come up from the coast I was lured in by the promise of a free pisco sour (a cocktail of local grape brandy, lime, frothy egg white and bitters - much nicer than it sounds!). A local speciality is alpaca steak. The alpaca (a type of llama) has been domesticated and consumed in Peru for centuries and is worth trying - a bit like slightly tough beef. From here you get a perfect view over the colourful local life - the entire population of Arequipa seems to promenade through the Plaza at least once a day!

There is a supermarket on the southern side of the square on Puente Bolognesi that is good for stocking up. I recommend the packets of acrid green coca sweets. I don't know if they work, but I never had a problem with altitude sickness in Peru!

Oh and the protest? A couple of towns were being evacuated due to volcano eruption. The independently-minded folk of Arequipa never miss a trick to criticise central government.

From journal Ary Quepay - Here I Rest

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