Arequipa

We dodged the strike by plane to Arequipa. So now we are in the center of one hectic city! Arequipa is famous for the dormant volcano El Misti and it´s white city building, made of white volcanic rock. Oh yeah, and don´t forget the local dish rocoto relleno which is a hot pepper stuffed with carne and cheese served with potato au gratin! Es muy delicioso! Poor Monica has come down with a gnarly head cold and won´t be joining Lilly and I tonight for martini´s. Pobrecita!
The day we arrived we stayed in a hostel called La Casa de Melgar. This was the house where the only bishop from Arequipa lived way back when...To get to our room you had to walk through a maze of gardens and high stone walls. Our room was huge, complete with antique pottery on the wall, a stained glass roof over the shower, and great acoustics. That night, we finally partook in the long tradition of chewing la hoja de coca, or coca leaf, with some red wine. Fabuloso!!