On top of the world in Arequipa Peru

We arrived to Arequipa in the morning after a very (surprisingly) comfortable 15 hour bus ride from Lima. The seats of the first class Cruz del Sur bus were fully extended and felt like we were on our sofa back home (but even more comfortable) with dinner served and also movies played.

We took a taxi to meet our hosts for the next four weeks, Max and Lula, who are also the directors of the language school where Chad was to study. Chad contacted them a week prior to our arrival in Peru, and he arranged for 4 hours of one-on-one Spanish classes a day for him and for accomodations for the two of us. When Max and Lula responded that they'd have the rooftop suite ready for us we thought they were joking, but when we arrived, WOW! It was really comfortable with our own room, bathroom and extra room.

The terrace just outside our door had amazing views of the volcanos Misti and Chachani. Here's a short clip by Chad:

Rooftop terrace view of Arequipa from Chad Carson on Vimeo.

We ate breakfast at home every morning. It was always delicious. Every day Sabina (the housekeeper) prepared a delicious and healthy breakfast to get the day started. We had 5 kinds of different fresh fruits-- papaya, pineapple, watermelon, mango, apple, plum, banana, chirimoya, strawberry- with toasted bread and tea every day. They were acompanied by scrambled eggs, an omlette surprise (as Max likes to call it) or granola and yogurt. Ah, my mouth waters just thinking of it.

Also, breakfast was made sweeter each day with a wonderful view of the volcanos. Every morning we watched workers harvest crops, cows graze, and sheep jump the fences in the fields below.

Our apartment was a pleasant 30 minute walk to downtown which was where Chad's school is located. The walk was always nice since the daytime temperature was around 80 degrees and sunny every day. Here's a view just after leaving the apartment on the way to school:

In the center of Arequipa is the Plaza de Armas, and as any proper central square in Latin America, the Cathedral takes main stage.

The plaza is quite beautiful. Chad spent hours on one of the benches talking (in SPANISH) to an older gentleman from Arequipa who had spent years working in the United States.

One day we took a bus tour of Arequipa to get oriented to the city. Here's a picture of us at the arches in the Plaza de Yanahuara with Misti behind us.

It is said that the name Arequipa comes from the Quechuan phrase (one of the native languages still spoken extensively in Peru) "Ari, quepay," ("yes, stay") which the fourth Sapa Inca said upon seeing the beautiful city. We followed his advise, and yes, stayed.