After another long bus journey we arrived in Arequipa, the capital of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. It is the second most populous city of the country but still has only around 750,000 inhabitants. Arequipa lies in the Andes mountains, at an altitude of 2,380 meters above sea level and is overlooked by the majestic snow-capped volcano El Misti. The city has many colonial-era Spanish buildings. The historic centre of Arequipa has been named a UNESCO world heritage site and after seeing the main plaza and the architecture surrounding it, it is easy to see why, especially the massive Cathedral which dominates one side of the plaza. We stayed in a nice hostel on one of the main streets and spent the next couple of days relaxing and exploring the city. It is a beautiful
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