El Misti

— You cannot imagine our joy upon arriving in Arequipa back in 2015. We had spent three full days in Lima, Peru, previously, and by now we were looking forward to blue skies and open spaces away from large cities. Don’t get me wrong. We loved Lima. However, when we got off our plane in Arequipa, we were greeted with gorgeous blue skies and 360 views of an unforgettable landscape, including the three volcanoes around the city: Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu. El Misti, also known as Putina or Guagua Putina, stands 19,101 ft (5,822 m) above sea level. It was back in 1985 when El Misti (“The Gentleman” in the Quechua language) last erupted. That symmetrical and snow-capped cone is a sight one sees everywhere in the city. The above shot was taken from the roof top of the Arequipa Cathedral. Below I post the same shot with a landscape crop.