Arrived at 6.30am and were looking forward to checking in to our hostel 'The Point.' However, the first impressions were not the best; most of the rooms were empty, we would have been put in the dingy attic room and the bathrooms were dirty. I know we are only backpacking but hostels have to have some standards to meet even if they are very basic. So we decided to leave our big bags in storage and head for breakfast. I don't think I have ever had ice cream for breakfast before but along with a crepe and fruit it was to die for!
Afterwards we went on the hunt for another hostel. Arequipay Backpackers was our first choice but it was fully booked along with the next couple we tried so we opted for a slightly more expensive hotel 'El Turista' and reserving the backpackers hostel for the rest if our time in Arequipa.

After we were sorted we explored the town, the plaza de Aramas, visited the central cathedral, and wondered round to book the Colca Canyon excursion.

For dinner we visited the roof top restaurant and were given ponchos to wear. I ordered a salad and it turned out to be just tomatoes and cheese! Then we tried out Arequipa's night life and sampled a tasty mojito.

We had a relaxing morning and enjoyed our first hour of reading on the roof top in the sunshine. The sun was strong and we both managed to burn in the short space of time we were sitting out in it!

A great place to visit in Arequipa is the Monesterio D Santa Catalina, where we had an English guided tour and found out the extraordinary conditions the nuns had to face.

We went to grab a spot of lunch and bumped into Ashley, Mike and Andrea from our Machu Picchu Jungle trek, it was lovely to catch up but they put us off the Colca Canyon trek because they found it hard, especially on the way down! We were then having second thoughts and slightly apprehensive.

We spent the rest if the afternoon exploring the craft market where Liz got some good bargains - I am saving my shopping until Bolivia so I don't have as far to carry it!