Arequipa, the white city
Arequipa is also called the "white city" as most of the buildings are made from a silvery white type of volcanic rock that is only found in the area. It is Peru's second largest city and like all other Peruvian towns or cities, it is full of marches by various schools, bands and political parties with the accompanying musical procession.
Our accommodation was in a suburb close to the city, some 15 minutes on foot. It is a great place where we also shared a BBQ (braai!) with the hostess and her friends - alpaca meat is really good (although Janine does not agree). We spend a day or two resting and doing washing (much needed) and also visited two well-known "attractions".
The first was the monastery of Santa Catalina. The following history is not guaranteed to be accurate, but is what I can remember and could gather! Build some 500 years ago, it is filled with hundreds of little alleys and rooms - the entire area covers a few city blocks (the only monastery that was a "city" in its own right) and covers some 20000 sq meters.
Apparently the original nuns were from noble families and the 2nd daughter of the nobles had to become a nun. Obviously this did not work too well and they had wild parties to such an extent that the pope heard of it and send some nun like Heidi's schoolteacher to sort them out. This happened a few 100 years ago before e-mail.
I am not a lover of monasteries nor old buildings in general, but this visit was very interesting - thought it would be a great place for playing laser quest! It is open for the general public, except for a small part that is currently still in use by nuns.
We also went to see the ice mummies. In Inca times, local girls were sacrificed on top of the high mountains to appease the "gods" of the volcanoes and the earth. During the visit much emphasis was laid on the "fact" that it was such an honour to be sacrificed in a ritual at some 6000m high, almost as an apology to the evil act of killing one's own children. A procession would take up to a few months to reach the designated spot. Sometimes the sacrifice dies from exposure, but other times a hard hit to the head was used.
The most famous mummy is called Juanita. She was about 12 years old and is almost perfectly preserved, 500 years later, due to the low temperatures. Even her organs are completely preserved. An American mountaineer discovered her some 15 years ago and since then about 10 others were also discovered in the region.
Cultural shocks: an "ice cream cart tune" sounds when any vehicle of size reverses; streets can be very narrow and would fit only a single car - this leads to numerous traffic jams; political party campaigns include painting slogans on rocks and mountainsides with bright paint.
Our accommodation was in a suburb close to the city, some 15 minutes on foot. It is a great place where we also shared a BBQ (braai!) with the hostess and her friends - alpaca meat is really good (although Janine does not agree). We spend a day or two resting and doing washing (much needed) and also visited two well-known "attractions".
The first was the monastery of Santa Catalina. The following history is not guaranteed to be accurate, but is what I can remember and could gather! Build some 500 years ago, it is filled with hundreds of little alleys and rooms - the entire area covers a few city blocks (the only monastery that was a "city" in its own right) and covers some 20000 sq meters.
Apparently the original nuns were from noble families and the 2nd daughter of the nobles had to become a nun. Obviously this did not work too well and they had wild parties to such an extent that the pope heard of it and send some nun like Heidi's schoolteacher to sort them out. This happened a few 100 years ago before e-mail.
I am not a lover of monasteries nor old buildings in general, but this visit was very interesting - thought it would be a great place for playing laser quest! It is open for the general public, except for a small part that is currently still in use by nuns.
We also went to see the ice mummies. In Inca times, local girls were sacrificed on top of the high mountains to appease the "gods" of the volcanoes and the earth. During the visit much emphasis was laid on the "fact" that it was such an honour to be sacrificed in a ritual at some 6000m high, almost as an apology to the evil act of killing one's own children. A procession would take up to a few months to reach the designated spot. Sometimes the sacrifice dies from exposure, but other times a hard hit to the head was used.
The most famous mummy is called Juanita. She was about 12 years old and is almost perfectly preserved, 500 years later, due to the low temperatures. Even her organs are completely preserved. An American mountaineer discovered her some 15 years ago and since then about 10 others were also discovered in the region.
Cultural shocks: an "ice cream cart tune" sounds when any vehicle of size reverses; streets can be very narrow and would fit only a single car - this leads to numerous traffic jams; political party campaigns include painting slogans on rocks and mountainsides with bright paint.
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