¿Que?

Let´s see....the last time I left off I believe I was in Arequipa, or the ¨White City¨ (named for its many buildings made out of the volcanic rock of the surrounding volcanoes, including El Misti which looms over the town like an empress.....which is pretty much what the Incas thought of her, which led to one of our most exciting adventures in the city. If i remember correctly from the thick-accented student guide who bore with my strange questions regarding agriculture, etc, apparently the Incas were very afraid of these volcanoes and offered child sacrifices as a plea for mercy. British and Peruvian archaeologists and their aides have found 14 child sacrifices on these mountains, the most famous of which, The Ice Maiden, they found literally laying on top of the snow at some rediculous height......2-3,000 meters or so. She is called as such due to the fact that she (along with the others) were completely frozen within their burial sites, and are thus extremely coveted in the field because of the amount of original tissue that remains, and the impressive condition of their clothing and other associated articles of their sacrifice.

One of the other child sacrifices was on display in a frozen chamber, and it was wee bit spooky when i realized i was staring at a 13 year old girl who, from the back, still looked as alive as alive could be (because her hair and clothing was so well preserved), was actually over 500 years old. I wondered how i would feel if indeed there was an afterlife, and i was staring at my earthly body which was sacrificed by my ancestors for the continuation of my society, and i saw 2 American girls in jeans and flip-flops carrying rediculously touristy backpacks around listening to another woman who looked a little bit more like me, but was speaking in some strange language, explaining to these Gringos, who were blatently staring at me, who i was and what i was about...............for the little lady who knowingly gave her life for her civilization, i secretly hoped that indeed there was no afterlife, and that she was simply an Incan child sacrifice found on a mountain and brought down for flip-flopped tourists to gawk at.

A more lively experience was found at the local monastery, which i have mentioned previously....you know the one with the rich lady who rounded up all the rich family´s daughters and started a monestary, which sounded more like a big party with a bit of religion mixed in til the mean old Dominican nun came along and ruined all the fun?....thats the one. Well, despite the Dominican meany, it was still bundles of fun! Ayla and i toured around the place by ourselves for just under 3 hours, discovering new little nooks and crannies and attempting to weave a story about how the lives of these nuns were carried on (after the party ended), in this 20,000 square foot complex with 6 streets of its own and only a few receiving windows from which outside food, and occasionally visitors, could be met. The ovens, which you can see in a few of my pictures in my costco account.....(note: I dont think ill be able to upload photos on this blog, so anyone for costco?)....okay, so the ovens were one of my favorite parts, they, including many other ammenities (beds, benches, table tops, counters, etc) were built into the stone walls of which served as the main structure of the monestary. One was so large, it was taller than Ayla! (who is about 5´8´´) These often also had holes in the top of them where a pot could rest and be heated by the fire underneath......the only thing different from ovens today was no metal and no gas! Interestingly enough, when we visited the floating islands (Uros) on Lake Titikaka, they had very similar looking ovens, which were still very much in use. Pretty amazing to see the movement of technologies such as that, or perhaps the separate genesis of the same brilliant idea in towns separated by many miles and mountains. Many of the pictures you can see on my account are from this monestary, and you can see its beauty and charming peculiarity for yourself-one other thing i would like to mention though......my other favorite part-the baths, at least we were certain they were baths......they looked like gigantic bowls carved out of rock with an orangish tint, and they were all so nicely lined up in 2 rows flanking a common waterway (reminiscent of roman aquaducts, except WAY smaller) it was hard not to think of them as a little piece of architecture or artwork that any artisan these days would have loved to feast their eyes upon.

Okay, well more to come, especially about the wonders of Lake Titikaka....and the fellow tourists we found on it......but i must go pick up my laundry from a Lavanderia!

Hope all is well on the other side of the equator!

R