A Day of Learning

A day of learning and exploration! After enjoying breakfast in the morning sun, we went on a guided walking tour of downtown Arequipa. The tour guide was very captivating, with facts around every corner. We toured historic buildings including the Santa Catalina Monastery,  Plaza San Francisco, Plaza de Armas Cathedral, plus an alpaca farm and a local artisanal market. The tour provided us with new knowledge of Arequipa and the history surrounding Peru. 

Here are a few of our favorite fun facts about Arequipa:

1.    Most of the buildings are made of Sillar, a volcanic stone, to help protect the city against earthquakes. 

2.    Cuy is a Peruvian dish made from guinea pig and helps prevent cancers, is good for heart health and is low fat. 

3.    The Misty, one of the three volcanos surrounding Arequipa, was the last to erupt over 600 years ago. The record time it has taken for someone to run from the center of the city to the top of The Misty was three hours and 44 minutes. 

4.    Arequipa was named the ‘white city’ during the 18thcentury because of the large number of white people who settled there. It was also an incredibly racist city during that time. 

5.    Arequipa is the only city with over one million people above 2000 meters. 

After the city tour, we met with Alonso, our main contact for HOOP. As the rain began, we all walked to La Luncha Sangucheria Criolla, a Peruvian sandwich restaurant in the hub of the city. Our meal was spent getting to know Alonso and the mission of HOOP. After we said goodbye to Alonso, we sat around a local coffee shop to debrief and soak in our excitement as the documentary’s story begins to unfold. We ended our day at La Italiana, sharing stories and laughs over a nice Italian meal. Tomorrow we begin our first day with HOOP; the excitement continues!

Peace, 

Myah