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• 9. Arequipa
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 Day 8 (September 1, 2025) Arequipa

Before      We're staying near the airport for easy access to our 11:00 AM flight to Arequipa.   Arrival is scheduled for 12:40 PM. After checking in at the hotel and having lunch, we'll have the afternoon to explore the nearby highlights.   The points marked on the map are: 0- Hotel Conde de Lemos 1- Main Square 2- Santa Catalina Monastery 3- San Lazaro Neighborhood 4- Yanahuara Viewpoint 5- San Camilo Market

After   Since we are awake before our alarms went off, we decide to head straight to the airport and have a leisurely breakfast there. We order an Uber and arrive at the airport a few minutes after 7:00 AM. We check in and have some fried eggs for me and a pork rind sandwich for Eva as breakfast.   The flight arrives in Arequipa on schedule, at 11:10 AM. We take another Uber to the hotel and check into our room.   We do our first basic shopping, like bottled water, and head out to the Plaza de Armas, the main square, because we've been told that many restaurants are concentrated there.   We choose the upper terrace of the first restaurant that had an "Americano." When I told the Uber driver I wouldn't be able to try all the local dishes, he suggested we order an Americano, which includes a selection of various typical dishes. We eat it with a view of the cathedral. I'd highlight the potato cake and some tender pieces of pork. We paid 157 soles for everything.   We go down to the Plaza de Armas for our first visits. Since we are told the cathedral will open in an hour, at 5 PM, we go across the square and pay 10 soles for entrance fee for the Church of the compañia de Jesus.   It's very beautiful and has a Sistine Chapel, where they don't allow photos, with walls covered in murals in a style that reminds me a lot of the interior of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.   From there we go out into the cloisters, which are now part of the street, completely open to the public, and full of shops. It is here where Eva buy her desired alpaca sweater.   We walk back to the cathedral because it is already the opening time and we see the inside. An interior that matches the magnificent building.   Since we have some time, we head towards the San Camilo market, which closes at 7 PM. It's a huge and varied market where we do some shopping. Near closing time, we return to the hotel to rest.   Around 7:30 PM we go for a walk to see the Plaza de Armas illuminated at night. We take the chance to try another of Arequipa's recommendations: "queso helado" (frozen cheese). It's a kind of mixture of cheese and crushed ice with added sugar. There are several street vendors who offer it, and they serve it sprinkled with cinnamon.   After finishing our ice cream, we return to the hotel  by a different, busier street and pass by the Monastery of Santa Catalina to see how to get there and prepare for tomorrow. This afternoon we bought tickets online for the nighttime visit, which is only available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.   Around 8:30 PM we are back in our room and won't leave it until tomorrow.