Arequipa

Arequipa has some nice tourists attractions. The main 3 are an old convent (Santa Catalina Monastery), the ice princess (Mummy Juanita) and the second deepest canyon in the world (Colca Canyon).

It costs some money to get in, about 20 bucks, but it's a one of a kind oppertunity to see such a strange monastery. Abou 430 years ago, a rich widow built this convent for nons. The only requirement being very rich. So unlike other convents, this one is built ith fountains, gardens, houses and streets. Every non had 1-4 slaves, and her own apperment. Not just a room, but a small house, with multiple rooms and a kichen. Their living style from the outside continued on the inside. Once you entered you never left it again, and you died inside it walls. Nobody left the convent, but also nobody from the outside was allowed in. Only on highly rare occasions did some priests, architects and artists enter to have a look inside.

The convent easily takes up a whole afternoon, wandering through it's houses and streets. Just a small portion is closed to the public, the area where nowdays still nons live. Although they don't live up to the old rules, they are modern nons.

Next to visit is the ice princess Juanita. Discovered in 1995 on the top of Mount Ampato, the quickly found out that this 12-14 year old girl was sacrifed to the mountain gods, about 550 years ago. Incas believed the mountains were gods, and in bad times the only sollution was to make the ultimate sacrifice, a human child. Although the Inca rose quickly, and as destrayed evenly fast, this child 'survived' and is here to give us an inside look of the beliefs of the Incas.

The tour begins with a short video of her discovery and then you enter the small musea. Tons of artifects and ornaments were found around her, and several other sacrified human childs, which are shown under dimm light to preserve. Then, at last, you get to see her. Stored in a big 'computerized' urn (fridge), keeping temperature steady at minus 20. Some double glass windows seperate her from you, and it is a but blurry, but you can see her, laying as she did when she was killed 550 years ago.

Then last but not least, a visit to the second deepest canyon. For some reason the thought for a very long time this was the deepest, only shortly measurments discovered the neighboring canyon was slightly deeper (150m). Behind twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, this 3 km deep canyon attracts tons of tourist. That results in many tour operators, offering 'cheap' tours to the canyon. Since I am on a budget, I took the local public bus to the end of the canyon. Great views while your walking toward the buttom, a steep 1100m climb down. 2 hours later I was enjoying my beer, while swimming in the oasis swimming pool. Not too bad. Worse was the climb up, which is a hard tirsty 3 hour climb.

From Arequipa I took the bus to Huacachina...

wat dacht je van de catacomben in parijs?
bones,bones,bones.
skulls,skulls,skulls.

That convent sounds like some kind of Disneyland to me. Isn't the whole idea behind a convent that it's supposed to be sober so it's inhabitants can, you know, focus on copying books, brew nice beers and do some worshiping? Ah well. It does sounds like a nice tourist-trap though.

.....sandboarding!