Easter in Arequipa

We left Lima on Thursday, April 13th at 5:oo p.m. for our 14-hour overnight bus trip to Arequipa. We saw little of the scenery that night because of the dark. But what we could see were huge rock wall close to the bus window. The bus went slowly as the roads turned and turned. We arrived in Arequipa at 7.oo a.m.

We went straight to the hotel we had booked from Lima. The hotel is a spectuacular colonial 18th century mansion -- the former residence of the Bishop of Arequipa. The hotel has massive thick walls, three courtyards and gardens and is decorated in original colonical colors, rick brick red and blue. We are on the ground floor and the ceilings are high vaulted brick.

That evening we went to the 17th centry cathedral, occupying one entire side of the main square, the Plaza de Armas. The beautiful square, with its palm trees with lit with brillant lights and many people.

The next day, Good Friday, we went out to a different part of town and watched a complete reenactment of the Easter story. It was done outside of the church and in another square. They had roman guards on horses and at the end put two men and ´jesus´on crosses outside of the square on a hillside. It was unbelieveably realistic. There were thousands of Peruvians with ónly a few tourists.

We then went back to the main square and went to the Cathedral for Good Friday. When we left the Church, we witnessed a beautiful prosession, as is customary for Peru. It must have lasted some 45minutes with floats of the Virgin Mary as she is represented usually and then dressed in black, grieving her son. People followed the prosession carrying lit candles -- the mood was very somber.