Peru Day 5 & 6 - White City Arequipa

Arequipa 7,314 feet above sea level.

I was asleep in most part of the Cruz del Sur overnight bus ride from Nazca to Arequipa City. In fact, I fell asleep as soon as we left Nazca around midnight. I woke up twice when the bus was going through zigzag road up in the mountains and when Tina woke me up to look at the beautiful coastline. 

Arequipa is the colonial-era capital of Peru’s Arequipa Region. Framed by 3 volcanoes, it's filled with baroque buildings constructed from sillar, a white volcanic stone. Its historic center is anchored by the Plaza de Armas, a stately main square flanked on its north by the 17th-century neoclassical Basilica Cathedral, which houses a museum displaying religious objects and artwork. It is Peru's second-biggest city after Lima with over 861,000 inhabitants.

The road leading to Arequipa is beautiful and I was able to glimpse parts of it going through narrows in between high rocks and tunnels. As we near Arequipa in the bright morning, two of the three distinct majestic volcanoes are dominating the city skyline making it unique from any city I know. Arequipa's prominent volcanoes are called Misty, Chachani, and the extinct volcanic groups Pichu Pichu.