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<\/a>The cathedral on Arequipa’s Plaza de Armas<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>We found a dinosaur themed park in town. Quinn was scared to go through the giant triceratops tunnel.<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>We met up with Michelle, Matt and their kids Emilia and Matthew for some fun at the park.<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>There aren’t as many birds here as there were in Central America, but we still find a few.<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>This is Cuy (guinea pig). It’s a local delicacy that we’ve been seeing since southern Columbia. It’s been a staple on the menu since pre-Incan times. I’ve been thinking that I had to try it before we leave and I finally did. Tastes like pork, but not much meat on those little bones!<\/p><\/div> Quinn attended a craft fair the first Saturday we were here.<\/p><\/div> We visited the stunning Santa Catalina convent.<\/p><\/div> The convent has been in operation for around 400 years and is still in use today. Part of it is open to tourists.<\/p><\/div> A rare shot of all three of us.<\/p><\/div> With it’s beautifully painted walls and lots of flowers, the convent is a photographer’s dream.<\/p><\/div> We spent an hour or so with a guide wandering through what was really a small self-contained town.<\/p><\/div> This is where then nuns (or in some cases their nannies) would do their washing. As Quinn discovered, if you block off the main channel, water is diverted into your pot where you can do your washing.<\/p><\/div>Yes, I said some of the nuns had nannies. Although they took a vow of (among other things) poverty when they entered the convent, apparently poverty is relative among nuns too. Those that came from wealthy families brought assistants with them and had better rooms and furniture.<\/p>\n After the nunnery we were hungry and we found a cafe across the street for second breakfast with cappuccino.<\/p><\/div> Emilia visited us for a sleepover. Lots of fun was had playing Minecraft, and Jen made Q and E pancakes for breakfast.<\/p><\/div>On Friday afternoon we visited a museum dedicated to the frozen body of an Incan girl<\/a> sacrificed atop one of the local volcanoes 500 years ago. In 1995 a climber \/ archaeologist discovered the frozen body at over 20,000 feet. Although it’s not a mummy because it wasn’t intentionally prepared for preservation, the cold, dry climate atop the mountain has kept it intact and preserved. During a trip to Johns Hopkins University for a cat scan, a sample was extracted from her stomach to discover what her last meal was. The entire exhibit was amazing. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the museum, so you’ll have to take my word for it.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
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