Vacation - Arequipa

Well it's literally my last day in Peru & I'm ticking away the hours until the cab comes to take me to the airport, so this seemed like a perfect time to do some blogging. Because I certainly won't have time to describe my whole visit, I will greedily skip to the best parts first.

My vacation! I spent 1 wonderful week in southern Peru, starting in the Spanish colonial town of Arequipa. Arequipa is surrounded by 3 towering volcanoes, and it's often called "The White City" because it was entirely constructed from a white stone mined from the craters. It's a lovely place and jammed with tourists.

Here is the Plaza de Armas...

There are these wonderful arcaded balconies where you can sit & have an overpriced drink.

 

The city has such a stark, simple beauty now, but apparently the exterior walls of the buildings used to be covcred with colorful murals like this; it's hard to imagine:

Arequipa is known for its wonderful food, and my guide & I had a leisurely, traditional lunch. For drinks, they serve Red Chicha, a non-alcoholic drink made from maize. Here I am with the waiter who is serving it up in the traditional way.