Tremors, Volcanoes, Guinea Pigs for Lunch

Misty Volcano - View from the Top Floor Patio

Wednesday, March 24, 2016, WTRD 75

Our Itinerary for the day:

"Standing at the foot of El Misti Volcano and oozing the best of Spanish colonial charm, Arequipa vies with Cuzco for the title of Peru's most attractive city. Built out of a pale volcanic rock called sillar, the old buildings dazzle in the sun, giving the city its nickname ­ the 'White City'. The main plaza, with its cafes and nearby cathedral, is a lovely place to while away the day. You will have a walking tour of Arequipa with a local guide. The tour includes a visit to the main square, the San Ignacio Chapel with its impressive colonial mural paintings, the Santa Catalina Monastery, and the suburb of Yanahuara."

Last night it was dark when we arrived.  My legs seemed a bit shaky after a long day on the bus, or was that a tremor?  There are a lot of them here as the volcanoes grumble.

We got to sleep in a bit this morning as our city tour doesn't start until 9:00 am from the hotel lobby.  Today I start taking some high altitude preventive medicine.  We will be ascending tomorrow to 11,000 feet to Puna and one starts the meds the day before.  Russ plans to start his tonight.  I started mine while we were here in the event I had a bad side effect that needed treatment.  Rather here than on the road.

I drop off 2 kilos of desert dirty clothes this morning at the local laundry.  It will cost 6 sols, less than  2 dollars for wash, dry, fold and be ready at 4:00 pm.  We meet up with our group, for a driving and walking tour.

We visit old cathedrals,

and an overlook of the three volcanoes.

Two of the three are quiet, but Misty sends  8-10 tremors a day under the city.  There are volcano evacuation guidelines in our hotel.  If this one erupts, it most likely will wipe out the city.  Terraces in the river valley were built prior to the Incas 800 years ago and are still being used to farm crops today.

We visit the main square and watch people visiting, feeding pigeons, reading, and enjoying the day.  Our last stop before lunch is to the Santa Catalina Monasterial Convent.  This quite picturesque and the history behind the convent is very interesting.  It was the custom that the second boy and girl child in the family either went into the priesthood or the nunnery.  First son inherited, first daughter got married, third daughter stayed at home to take care of the elderly parents.

  

Usually, only wealthy families gave up their second born to the church as early as 12 years old, and paid all the expenses for keeping the girl there.  The first four years, the girl was a novitiate.  At the end of 4 years, she could become a nun or leave.  Twenty percent left, 80 percent continued on.  The family built the house for their daughter with in the cloistered city of the nunnery.  Families were "buying" a place for themselves in heaven.

The nuns had servants in their houses to keep house, do laundry, go shopping and buy supplies, and to do laundry while the nuns spent their days doing needlework making vestments of silver and gold for the priests and devotions.  These nuns were cloistered, so once they entered they never left the interior of the cloister.

At one time the cloister was home to almost two hundred nuns.  Today, the new part of the convent with electricity, houses primarily older nuns, twenty of them who must do all their own chores.  The older part of the cloister is a museum for the public.

After our morning tours, we visited a local restaurant that offered the regional specialty of guinea pig.  Three of our group were brave enough to try it.  Not Russ and me though.  As adventurous as we maybe at times, eating guinea pigs just isn't on our list.  The menu offered them in many forms, deep fried with heads on, or filleted and wrapped around asparagus or bacon wrapped around the skins and rolled.  I think I may have been game to try it until I saw the picture on the menu with the head.  Squeak, squeak!  I don't like prawns with heads and eyes either!

Thanks but No Thanks Guinea Pigs.

One of the group loved it.  The other couple that split the pig, thought it was okay.  They got the one with the skin and thought it a bit greasy and gamey tasting.  Hmmm!  Yep my chefs salad tasted just dandy!  

After lunch we wandered through the local produce market.

Beautifully displayed fruits and vegetables

Native indigenous shaman sold herbs, potions, and ingredients to make medicines. Fruit and flowers were displayed artistically.  This market competes with local supermarkets and attracts poor people who can haggle and bargain for a quarter of papaya if that is all they can afford.

We returned to our hotel late in the afternoon, just in time to pick up the laundry.  Russ and I spend the rest of the afternoon resting, working on the blog, and editing photos.  Yipes are we behind!

We leave tomorrow at 8:00.

As long as those volcanoes sleep,

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's in Arequipa