Arequipa Day 1

We arrived in Arequipa early this morning after our fast night bus from Cusco. You just never know with South American buses. The latest we’ve arrived is 6 hours late and now the earliest we’ve arrived is 2 hours early.

Our hostel was very kind and let us check in early, so we were able to dump our bags in our rooms and get a shower before heading out for some breakfast and begin exploring the city. The buildings in Arequipa are predominantly made out of a white volcanic stone giving it the nickname, 'white city'.

We had a vegan lunch nearby to the Convent of Santa Catalina. The convent was much bigger than expected. Inside were 6 streets, each with varying sized 'villas', which the nuns previously lived in. There was a sitting room, bedroom and kitchen at a minimum. The walls of the streets were all bright orange or red. The orange tree cloister was a vibrant blue. Each cloister had lots of artwork, all designed to teach or remind the nuns of lessons or morals.

There was also a huge community kitchen. The ceiling was totally black from historic use and you could see ash sparkling in the air when the sun shone a certain way.

After the convent we went to Yunkahara, which is a lookout point towards El Misti, the volcano nearby. It was a bit of an anticlimax, but wasn't a long walk so not a waste. It was nice to see another part of Arequipa. After we walked back to the main plaza, we had some dinner and then an evening of admin for Allan and scrapbooking for me. It was pretty chill.

Holidays Hostel Arequipa
9/10
Facilities: 😀
Comfort: 😀
Location: 😀
Cleanliness: 😀
Value for money: 😀
Staff: 😀

Summary: Friendly, accommodating staff, spacious room, great location, excellent value for money.

Good: Staff: after our overnight bus from Cusco arrived 2-hour early (yes, early), staff upgraded us to a (huge) triple room, rather than making wait for a twin room. Room: the triple room was huge; the most spacious we had in Peru. The toilets and showers were also convenient located close to our room, yet we were not disturbed by other guests using the facilities. Location: the location was great, one block away from the main square, one block away from a supermarket and very close to lots of food options (on the way to the main square). Holi, the resident dog, was also big positive, especially with missing our dog. Overall, this was excellent value for money.

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