Every Nun`s Dream

Sunset over the canyon
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A part from being a white stoned beautiful city, dominated by  snow capped volcanoes, Arequipa is every Nun`s paradise.Those of you who are contemplating beatification, entering a convent or leading a particularly devoted religious life, this is the place to be. You can also descend into the depths of the world`s deepest canyon ( though this is disputed ) whilst you are at it.

If you take the bus from Cusco, you will arrive at around 6 am. This gives you a delightful experience of seeing the sun rise of over the Misti volcano as you pass through the shanty towns outside of the city. In the distance, the tiny lights of the city slowly extinguish as the sky fades from deep violet to baby blue. I would live in this neck of the woods purely for the drama of day break. It was enough to put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

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That day I decided to visit two of the main important sites in Arequipa: the Santa Catalina Convent and the Museum where the famous frozen human sacrifice,`Juanita`resides. Except Juanita is not currently being exhibited because of the heat. Instead, `Sara`, a mummy is currently on show.

The Convent is an intricate labyrinth like living quarters, a city within a city which was reserved for nuns from the sixteenth century until the present day. It housed the daughters of rich families from all over the country and the continent, who were presented to the church at an age as young as five years old. Thankfully, times have changed and the convent currently tends to thirty nuns and novices aged eighteen to ninety. The place is a city within a city , with its own hospital, cemetery and its seclusion from society. In fact, once a woman or child entered the church, they could only extremely rarely see their family. Their only communication was through wooden lattice style windows in which the nun could not be seen from the exterior. To me, it almost seemed barbaric, especially as far as children were concerned. It is of course, another story if the decision due to a vocation.

The oasis
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Whatever your thoughts are on this, the place is a reason in itself for coming to Arequipa. The colourful walls brighten up what must have been a disciplined and hard life.The architecture is simple but flowers,fountains and secret gardens await you as you explore the various `streets`. I could get lost in the place, discovering new alleys and peeking into the forgotten lives of the women who lived there. The peaceful tranquility and the chirping of the birds is all that accompanied the thoughts and prayers of these dedicated disciples. It is a fascinating place that I absolutely loved and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting this city.

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The museum is also fascinating.If only Jaunita had decided not to go on her annual holiday. But I suppose it must be hard being a five hundred year old celebrity around here, and a pretty good looking one at that. At the start of the tour you are shown a video for twenty minutes and told about how Juanita was discovered. She is significant because she is not a mummy, unlike the other discoveries and so all of her internal organs are in tact. You are also shown the other ornaments, clothing and offerings that were buried with this child in order to placate the volcano gods. Sara is equally as interesting but Juanita really does steal the show.

scenes from the convent
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Colca Canyon

Apparently it is the deepest canyon in the world. Whatever the statistics decide, this is the main reason that travellers come to the city. Though Arequipa is a stunning city which shouldn`t be missed. The sheer beauty of the canyon is enough to make you cry. The first day was spent descending down into a village about two thirds of the way into the canyon. We spent the night with Señora Ruffina who was kind enough to lend me her clothes as all of mine had been soaked through by the incessant and torrential rains. It was just my luck that it decided to pelt it down on the first day. I sat next to the wood fueled stove in the kitchen and chatted with Señora Ruffina and the guide, Vladimeer. Though the accommodation is basic, I felt really at home as our hosts were so warm and friendly and eager to accommodate. We had a delicious simple meal and decided to go to bed early.

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The next day was spent descending to the oasis in deepest part of the canyon. Here, you can sleep in bamboo huts next to natural swimming pools which are filled with tepid water from deep within the Earth. The second day was very warm and sunny so it felt heavenly to jump into the pool after a good couple of hours walking in the heat. We had lunch and decided to climb back up to the top of the canyon. After lunch I had discovered that I had eaten something dodgy and had a horrible stomach ache. The prospect of climbing up hill for 1.2kms was not great. But Vladi was really patient and stayed with me even when it seemed to me that the road was never ending ! I have to have a bit of a rant but I think it is important for anyone reading this and contemplating this trek. Vladi had fallen over and split his nose open the week before whilst guiding a group of tourists. Though not broken, he was bleeding everywhere and he even showed me the spot where he fell. It is hard enough to get to to the top of a mountain at the best of times, let alone when you have split your nose. As a human being, I can identify with how terrible this must have been for the poor guy. What did these cold hearted and despicable tourists do ? they demanded their money back from the agency ! Now, Vladi has to pay back ninety dollars to the agency because of this accident. That`s a heck of a lot of money in Peru. Especially because he relies on his job to pay for his university education every month. I hope they read this and realise how heartless they acted.

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Anyway, the sunset is made even more intense by the occasional condor that swoops and glides with the grace of an ancient swan lake. I saw more condors flying around here than at the Cruz Del Condor which is merely a stop to buy souvenirs, in essence. Finally, to wash away my pains, I went to the hot springs near Chivay until lunch time.

If anyone would still like to donate to Project Peru, you can still do so until August. Being in Peru has made me even more conscious of the value of this charity and I hope that you understand why. www.justgiving.com/ciccia