Nunnies and Mummies

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It seems to be that Peru is very much the land of mummies. Either that or I have just developed some rather perplexing necro-type obsession. hmmm.

Well, here we are in Arequipa, Southern Peru. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage town in 2000and then swiftly got nailed by an earthquake in 2001, so luckily got the money to rebuild it. Its a big colonial town nestling at the foot of some volcanoes. There is Misti, coming in at 5822m and Chachani at 6,057m. These peaks are particularly terrifying, not only because they send tremors to the town every day, but also because me and Rich hope to climb them both in October! Bad Ass!

Well, after an eruption in 1995, an anthropologist climbed to the top of Chachani. Up there he found the 500 year old mummy of a 14 year old girl who was sacrficed, as the Incas believed the mountains were themselves Gods. He hauled it down before grave robbers could get it and the ice cap froze over it again. (The eruption had melted it.) Anyways, it has been investigated and is now frozen at minus 23 degrees in a museum here. Its pretty creepy, seeing her hair and empty eye sockets... There have been another 13 bodies of girls and young children found on the mountains in Peru, and loads have been struck by lightening because of the metal offerings buried with them! No photos of this mummy I m afraid, but for the more morbid among you, I m sure a google adventure will suffice.

The following day, we ventured to the Monastario de Santa Catalina. Its actually a convent founded in 1580 for the daughters of uber rich families. A town itself, when the girls entered at age 12, they were never again allowed to leave... Lucky then that they were allowed to bring their servants, buy big apartments in there, each with their own kitchen and living room and maybe a small garden! For 400 years it was closed off, and mysteries abound concerning their hedonistic behaviour! But for now the nuns live in a small section, leaving the rest for us to gawk at, and gawk we do. Its full of bright red and blue walls, and waterfalls and stuff. Much more chilled than outside with its protests and stuff. Its really beautiful with its views of the volcanoes.

And so there ends our two days of chilled culture. Tomorrow, we are back on the water, to run a river that flows through a desert!

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Photos

Arty hey?
Check out what the camera can do!

Chachani. 6,057m
Check out the highest peak there. In late Oct, we intend to conquer it!

In the Monasterio
Some of the apartments come off this street on both sides, there are 500 odd apartments after all

Sampson?!
Was it Sampson who held up the walls of somewhere? And then had his hair sut off? My religious trivia isnt really up to scratch

A kitchen
These apartments had their own kitchens, that door leads to its private courtyard. Not a bad life avoiding the revolutions and stuff outside. And did I mention the parties...

dear god
they never bothered teaching these nuns to read, so they had to learn about bible stories, partly from the paintings everywhere, like these by the ceiling

Comments

[Jenstar]

grrrr
Rich says DAMN YOU HILL!!!!!