The first two pictures are scanned postcards showing the ornate colonial architecture and native costumes of Arequipa. The buildings are white granite from Misty, a grand snow-capped mountain.
After our lunch, we went for a walk, wanting to see it all, and not miss anything. We saw a dog on a roof-top, and a religious processional which took up the entire width of the street. We kept popping into stores until we finally could get through to make it to the Convent de Catalina before closing.
This convent carries a naughty reputation of having housed young ladies from wealthy Spanish families who didn't know just what to do with them, so sending them luxuriously outfitted with fabulous strappings, including servants, to this convent where they continued their partying ways.
This is the rather unassuming entry to the Convent. It was only the memory of interior photos which got me to pay the fee and enter. It was fabulous!
It was quite late, the sky was white, the shadows long. Yet, the architecture and the colors were breathtaking!
This was the only interior flash shot I managed to get while out of the watchful eye of the guards. I later was grateful for them, because they found Doreen who had gotten lost. Oh, I think she could have stayed there forever, but we had no idea how cold it would get!
I was surprised that this cute little boy never smiled, unlike his mom and his aunties. I noticed that there were quite a few children who could not be encouraged to smile, though they appeared healthy and well cared for.
This is a typical Peruvian oven used for baking and other cooking. We didn't get a guide, so perhaps this was the young ladies' sauna?
These are some of the guides waiting for the stragglers to come out so they can close their tallies and go home.
Doreen and I took a taxi to Case de Ana, paying the driver a flat 3 soles...the equivalent of a few cents over a dollar. Showers were impossible. First, there was only cold water, and then...no water at all.
The room was so cold there was nothing to be done other than crawl under the blankets. We went to sleep without dinner.
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