After leaving Nazca we stopped briefly at a Nazca Cemetary (Cementerio de Chauchilla). There are many tombs which have been opened and mummies are displayed. Unfortunatelly grave robbers got to most of them first so there are many bones scattered around but some mummies are intact. All were buried in the foetal position unlike the Egyptian mummies as they believed they needed to be like this to be born into the next life. If rigor mortis set in before they could be buried like this the tendons of their joints were cut and they were tied in the foetal position! We then continued our journey and camped on the beach at Puerto Inka for the night. The road to Puerto Inka was along the coast and as usual the surrounding land was desert. The wind blowing in from the sea was carrying sand onto the road and in places the road surface was not visible at all from the sand drifts! We soon came across a ´snow plough` clearing the road!

Next stop - Arequipa. Arequipa is dry and sunny despite being at 2380m above sea level, and is over looked by many snowcapped mountains. It is the second largest city in Peru but has a much nicer, safer feel than Lima. First we visited the museum where Juanita the ´Ice Maiden` is displayed. She was a 12-14 year old girl that was sacrificed at the top of the Ampato Volcano and remained preserved by ice for 500 years until she was found in 1995 after being thrown from her grave following an earthquake. Her body is in extreemly good condition and is diplayed at minus 20 degrees centigrade to ensure it stays that way.

We also went to the Santa Catalina Convent in Arequipa which is called a city within a city. It is a huge 20,000m square complex where up to 450 people lived isolated from the rest of the world. Now only 30 nuns remain there.