Museo de la Catedral de Arequipa

Yesterday we visited the Museo de la Catedral de Arequipa (Museum of the Cathedral of Arequipa).  For the first time I was tired out by something at this high elevation, the stairs up to the rooftop, but it was worth it.

The cathedral is located on the main square, just kitty-corner from the hotel.  It occupies the entire block facing the square and is a beautiful as you would expect.  For 10 soles a person (approx. $4, tip not included) you can take a tour of the museum and cathedral, with tours starting as soon as there are guests and a tour guide ready to go.  I saw at least three other guides, so there shouldn't be a long wait.  We did not have to wait at all.  Flora was our local, friendly and knowledgeable.

The cathedral has been partially or completely destroyed several times since the 1500's and the current building dates from the 19th century.  A candle was knocked over and an nearly all consuming fire took the somewhat smaller previous structure.  Several wealthy families made major donations at that time.  This incarnation is gorgeous with a high alter and Belgian built organ.

The museum houses vestments, various gold, silver and bronze religious items.  Photography was not allowed in the museum itself.  My most memorable items were the gold and jewel encrusted crown of thorns, tiny bowls that survived the fire (you can see where the host was in the bowls at the time of the fire, making a "hidden Mickey" in the bottom) and a cap given by a 20th century pope (can't remember which one) to a local family and eventually donated to the church.  There were other amazing pieces of gold and silver, with countless gems.  How I wish I could have taken photos!

Then we start the climb, first to the second floor observation walkway which overlooks the organ.  After that I remembered that I high in the mountains after so much time at sea level.  It is not that there are that many stairs to the roof, it is just that my legs were not quite ready for them.  But once you reach the time you forget the steps and take in the view of Misti, the city and the two bell towers.

There was an earthquake here about 10 years ago that toppled one of the towers and caused damage inside.  The tower was rebuilt in a matter of months.  The organ and statues inside are now reinforced and the cracks repaired.

We took our time up on the roof and shot many photos.  Flora was lovely and took some of us too.    It finally became time to descend.  It was a great hour and this is worth a visit!

Note the crack from the earthquake.

This one collapsed from the circle up.

Entering the Andes (Photos)

The photos can speak for themselves.   I will just say that these were taken on our Taca flight Lima to Arequipa.  It was amazing that when we broke through the heavy cloud blanket which hangs over Lima the sky was suddenly clear and bright.  We were unable to take photos near the end of the flight as the sun quickly set at that point.  

The Ice Maiden Mummy

Over 500 years ago a 14 year old girl was sacrificed for and by her people on the 20,000 foot peak Ampato in the Andes surrounded by Incan priests.  Her body was wrapped in a blanket, tied into a bundle and buried.  At that height she froze quickly, becoming a natural mummy.  In 1995 Johan Reinhard, a high altitude archaeologist, was climbing Ampato to view the eruption of a neighboring volcano when he and his climbing partner came upon the famed mummy bundle.  It was the eruption itself that melted the ice and freed "Juanita", the name given to her in honor of the man who found her (Johan in Spanish is Juan, the female variant being Juanita).

Years ago I watched a documentary about the Ice Maiden and have always hoped to see her.  This trip has brought me not only to the city with the Catholic University Museum holding the mummy bundle, but the hotel is just two blocks away.  For anyone traveling to Arequipa, this is a very easy museum to reach, but it can be a challenge to find the actual entrance.  In order to view the mummy you must take a guided tour, preceded by a 20 minute National Geographic movie about the expedition, preservation and looking back to the sacrifice ritual. 

I am very glad I saw the Ice Maiden and the museum, but it does leave a person a bit melancholy to look upon the face of a young girl whose entire life was waiting for the call to be sacrificed to appease the mountain gods. "Juanita" was sent to he world of the gods when the volcano was erupting and the priests were trying to make the gods once again happy with her people.  She was to go live with the gods and act as a messenger between the two worlds. 

The children who were sacrificed were chosen by priests at birth and kept pure, being sacrificed when they were no more than 16 years of age.  Most of the ladies on the tour were wiping away tears (there were only two guys, both there at the behest of their own princesses). The photos I found online are a much better visual due to the triple layer of glass used to protect and maintain her frozen state and a very high humidity level. The case is a bit "cloudy", literally, which gives an eerie, mystical feel.  How appropriate. 

For more information about the Ice Maiden I suggest you read the book that I have been enjoying Ice Maiden written by Johan Reinhard, available in book and eBook form.

Getting to Arequipa

Today was mostly uneventful as travel days go.  The car was a little late picking us up at the hotel, but as I always plan to leave early it didn't matter.

Taca Airlines was wonderful.  They have a professional staff and new, very clean planes, with abundant back of the headrest entertainment.  I would recommend the airline to anyone flying one of their routes.  We landed at the Arequipa Airport early and were in the van heading to hotel within eight minutes of our original arrival time.

The flight itself was great, with an excellent empanada and cinnamon pastry snack and fabulous views.  I plan to write a separate post with photos of the beautiful clouds and Andes mountains.

The airport in Arequipa is adorable.  We deplaned down a set of stairs, just like they do for Air Force One I quipped.  I can't remember how long it has been since I have done that.  There is just one baggage carousel and our luggage came through within minutes and then we headed out to the taxi van.  It is a complimentary trip provided by the hotel.

I said earlier that the day was uneventful and it was, until the taxi ride.  New York cabbies have nothing on this guy.  We did the hurky-jerky down the main road leading from the airport.  At times it felt like a student driver who hasn't quite gotten the feel for the brake or how to ease onto the gas.  As with many roads around here, buildings are mini forts with high walls surrounding them.  These are covered with every imaginable advertisement from motor oil to soft drinks.  I tried to watch these in hopes of keeping my mind off the insane ride.

If you think the main road was bad, you should have been there when we entered the traffic of the city proper.  I lost count of the short stops and near read end, side impact and T-bone collisions.  At one point he was driving down the wrong side of the road, which I guess I fine here as other cabs were doing the same thing.

Looking back I was most thankful for my seat-belt, and the end of our journey in the magnificent main square of the old city.   Our hotel is on this square and tomorrow we get to explore it!

Cock a Doodle Doo!

On this trip I will only have two nights in Lima, one on each end.  For the first time ever for me, we stayed in a neighborhood other than Miraflores.  The hotel is fine, just what we need to an overnight stop on our way to Arequipa.  It is just a few blocks from the Magic Fountain Park that I will write about later, as well as the new stadium.  The trip to the airport was the usual length.

Last night my flight arrived about a half hour late due to a minor maintenance issue.  We thought it was going to be longer because as soon as we pushed back from the gate in Miami the plane turned off.  The lights went off, the engines shut down.  We learned at the end of this 10 minute delay that something was overheated from the first delay combined with time spent idling in the Miami heat.  This initiated an automatic shutdown.

Thankfully immigration was very fast. (The lady officer told me she liked my hair now better than my passport photo! This should not be a big surprise, my passport photo was taken after I battled through a rain and wind storm with no time for retakes in order to get my renewal back before my passport expired).  Baggage claim and customs were nearly as good.  But by the time we made it to the hotel I was exhausted.  The room could have been the size of a closet with a rock hard mattress and I would have slept just fine.  Sleep I did.

Early in the morning, before dawn I was awakened by a sound outside.  I couldn't place it at first, then I realized it was a rooster. Keeping chickens is becoming popular in the United States again and it always has been in Lima.  Two things struck me about my early, early, wake-up call: 1) roosters really do go "cock-a-doodle-doo!!!" and 2) they do not just crow once at dawn like in the corn flake commercials.  That rooster went on for a good hour, sometimes waiting as long as a couple minutes, giving me just enough time to start to fall back to sleep.

I think it is great that these animals give families access to fresh eggs and poultry, it's just that I have now added another must to my house hunting list for Lima: a no chicken neighborhood!