Arequipa is the 2nd Largest city in Peru at around 1 million people.

“The White City” is known for its building made pretty much exclusively from sillar which is a rock made from compact volcanic ash that is mined in nearby canyons.

It’s beautiful Plaza de Armas is one of its most well-known tourist attractions, with a monastery nearby, as well as a short walk to the river and in the distance are two distinct mountains (Mt. Chichani and Pichu Pichu) and one volcano! – Misty!

We stayed at a hotel near the plaza. The rooms were pretty simple but had comfortable beds, so that was greatly appreciated. The water in Peru is not clean to drink, and rarely the hotel had hot water. At best it was lukewarm. Once when showering, the hotel ran out of water, because its showers are connected to reservoirs above each room that get emptied and need to be refilled.

We had a common area where we shared meals and a kitchen for cooking. You can see this fun picture of me trying to get all the students to bed, which was at times difficult after a long day of ministry and all people wanted to do was chat. Sleep was more important.

Finally Check out this gallery of Arequpa!