Ok... So things didn't go quite as planned (what's new) puts the ad? vent? U? In Adventure???

Anyway, work up and as you remember got ready for my cooking class! Well headed to the office dreaming of Pisco and everything was closed. Like, really closed. I waited, double checked the reservation, and waited. No one ever showed up. I gave it 45 minutes and decided to leave. I had a city to see. I went back to the hotel and changed out of Chucks (that I wore so I wouldn't cut off my big toe in Peru) and headed to the Santa Catalina Monastery.

This monastery occupies a whole square block in downtown Arequipa. It is surrounded by tall stone walls that do their job of keeping the outside world out. Once inside the compound, I hitched into an English tour with traveling group Aussies and kiwis. The tour lasted and hour and we weaves our way through this little city where nuns have lived (and still do) for hundreds of years. The new nuns age 12 to 16 live completely sectioned off and after 4 years have to decide if they will go on to become full nuns. Once this decision is made, the nuns and their family are responsible for building their living space with in the monetary. This is why the compound resembles a small city, with walking streets packed with houses modest to lavish. Another interesting fact, is that most nuns came from VERY wealthy families and were able to have slaves so they could devote more time to praying. The place was beautiful. I kept saying to myself, "Now, this wouldn't be half bad..." Ha.

After my nunnery encounter, I went back to my cooking tour guide and gt my money back and managed to finagle and extra 5 Soles out of him for my troubles. Took that 5 and bought a beer.

In the afternoon, I went to see the famous Incan Ice Princess, Juanita. Juanita, is a my was was found less than 20 years ago by an American archeologist. Juanita is known to be 14 years old who was sacrificed at the summit of a volcano in the Andes. Juanita is famous because she is almost 100% preserved. Quickly after her sacrifice, she was covered in snow and was so until her discovery in 1995. She now lives in a refrigerator in a museum in Arequipa. Who has two thumbs and saw the frozen girl? This one!!!

We watched movie about he expedition and ritual sacrifices. We then saw many artifacts that were found with Juanita and three other children in the area. Everything was so well preserved, it was amazing. Not to mention Juanita herself. Her skin and hair is still perfect. Kind of crazy/cool/ weird to visit a frozen body from 500 years ago.