Off to the Convent with You, You Hussy!


It's interesting how divergent opinions can be when it comes to places. For instance, I've met a number of travellers who prefer Arequipa to Cusco citing its less touristic pandering, but I didn't think Arequipa had as much to offer other than the super cool nunnery Santa Catalina(which I will elaborate on in the next paragraph), Juanita, the mummy ice princess, and the presence of a STARBUCKS just off the Plaza de Armas!!

On Saturday, I spent a couple of delightful hours strolling through the massive monastery of Santa Catalina, founded by some nuns in 1580. Truth be told, I'd been contemplating giving up on men completely and hiding myself away from the cruel, cruel world, and this convent came highly recommended. You do realize I'm completely joking, yes? All kidding aside, it was quite educational. Apparently, there are still nuns sequestered on the premises but this area is naturally closed to all visitors. I was struck by the use of bright colors like BLUE and RED on many of the buildings exterior walls for it reminded me of Greece. I walked through many of the "cells" which served as living quarters for the nuns and found them incredibly sparse but serviceable I suppose. One of note belonged to a miracle-performing nun named "Blessed Sor Ana de los Angeles" who lived to the ripe old age of 82 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in the 1980's. In her cell, there was display case filled with relics from long-dead bishops. I was not surprised to see the hearts there, but there were also tongues! I've heard of giving up one's whole heart to God, but having your tongue removed upon death seems bizarre. Just sayin'...


A final humorous thing I must mention involves "cuy". Remember what that means? For those studiously taking notes, you get a gold star for remembering that a "cuy" is a guinea pig! One of the cells also contained a small enclosed area reserved for live guinea pigs. But what I found hilarious was how they were described in the sign posted outside of their keep. They were described as, and I quote, "a highly nutritive herbivorous domestic rodent"!! If that doesn't get your taste buds salivating then nothing will. Lip smacking good only NOT!

On Sunday, I took a tour on one of those tacky double decker buses that so frequently can be found in major cities. We visited a couple of the neighborhoods within the city such as Yanahuara and also a place called MUNDO ALPACA, where I purchased mi madre a lovely ssssssoft scarf made from baby alpaca wool. If you're reading this Mom, hope you like it!

As the day waned, I began to feel poorly as if I were coming down with a cold or even something worse so I retired early with a sniff and a kerchoo.

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