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ArequipaJan 5, 2006
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| Another early arrival and this time we will see more of the "White City" than the bus terminal. A taxi took us, and a French clown that we met on the bus to a good hostal with the best showers we have had in a long time. Much needed after two nights sleeping on buses - we stank!! The journeys caught up with us and our quick nap saw us out until 2pm. Starving hungry we headed to the plaza for some traditional rocota rellena (bellpeppers stuffed with spicy meat topped with cheese and scrambled eggs) in a restaurant with balcony views over the square and the cathedral. Today it has been raining nonstop and so we got soaked as we searched for Museo de Santuarios Andes. We walked past it at least twice before finding it. Once in the dry we watched a short movie which was a good introduction to Juanita the ice mummy. The museum exhibits mummified inca child sacrifices that were offered to the gods at the top of surrounding mountains. The snow and ice preserved these children for 500 years until there discovery in the '90s. Juanita, the first discovered, and the best preserved was not on display as she is being worked on in the lab. Instead we got to view Sarita, a peasant girl of around 16 years found near the peak of mount Sara Sara. Which reminded me that its Sarah Story's birthday today - what a coincidence - Happy Birthday Sassy! The ice mummies are so well preserved that their clothes and hair are still intact and they have even been able to identify their stomach contents and ancestry. Incredible. The Incas were probably the first mountain climbers in the world. It must have taken so much dedication to conquer these summits in the hope of appeasing the Gods whom they believed lived in the mountains. The museum website (in Spanish but has a photo gallery) can give you more of an idea as photos are prohibited in the museum. http://www.ucsm.edu.pe/santury/ Day 322 complete |
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