When my plane descended to Arequipa Airport, I wondered how on earth people settled in this hostile environment in the middle of very dry terrain next to volcano and questioned that Arequipa will be a good destination or not. However, when I approached the city area, I found that the city is quite green and prosperous than I expected. The taxi took me to the hotel in the center of historical area. Almost every building is built by white stone which was quite amazing to see how harmonious the color the city is. After check-in the hotel interior is brightly painted with red, yellow and blue and the courtyard is lushly bright green and full of blooming flower. I really impressed what I have seen and praised to hotel receptionist, but she said such interior can be found almost every building in the old city which later I discovered her words did not exaggerate at all.

Similar to other tourists, Santa Catalina Monastery was my first place to visit and indeed the monastery was really charming for its lovely gardens and breathtaking color walls with brightly red, yellow and blue similar to the hotel I stayed. The monastery is really interesting for its role for woman in old time, it was actually quite a privilege to be in the monastery and huge support money from family was a must. I was a bit surprised to discover that even in the past, money is needed to buy simple life! The complex is really large and all corners are opened to sightseers except modern area and cemetery that are closed. I really had a good time in the monastery café for its surprisingly nice desserts that made by the nuns. The monastery also has Italian restaurant which I did not try. After that I walked around the city center and saw its impressive central square, Plaza de Armas. Arequipa Cathedral at the heart of the city and located next to the square is really lovely to see for its white neo-renaissance design, although its interior is a bit disappointing, the exterior is quite unique as I rarely seen such architectural style in the old Spanish colonial city center. The cathedral also has two lovely arches and two towers, making this building more interesting. The buildings surrounded the square are also nice with two stories portico which from second floor offer really nice view of the city and volcano nearby. I also found that there are many nice churches and buildings that have really nice stone Andean Baroque craving façade around the city, the one at Church of La Campania is quite astonishing.

Not only nice architecture, I also like food in Arequipa. The city is famous for its Arequipan Cuisine, and I really enjoyed its delicious Rocoto Relleno, a stuff chilli. Visiting Arequipa reminded me the city of Puebla in Mexico, both cities have lovely architecture and great food while located next to volcano! All in all, Arequipa may not offer anything really special or stand out among many Spanish colonial towns in the World Heritage list, in my opinion this city turned out to be a rewarding place to visit in Peru and should not be left for anybody who come this country.