Arequipa, Peru

Our weekend trip to Arequipa, also known as the White City, began with an hour flight south of Lima. We stayed at Casa Andina Private Collection which is housed in a colonial Mint. It was only minutes away from Arequipa's main attractions, the Plaza de Armas and the Santa Catalina Monastery. Known as the city within a city, the Santa Catalina Monastery was founded in 1579 and is over 20,000 square-meters! The cobalt blue and red painted walls are so beautiful we decided to visit the Monastery twice during our stay (there was so much content to capture)!

Queso Helado (cheese ice-cream) is a staple dessert from Arequipa. Contrary to its savory name, queso helado is actually sweet and doesn't taste like cheese at all. 

The Chanchani volcano is one of three visible from Arequipa. This photo was taken just outside the city at a viewpoint called Mirador Carmen Alto. 

Vegan sushi at El Buda Profano. We ate here for dinner the two nights we stayed in Arequipa, it was that yummy!