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With this blog entry things are going to seem a little out of synch but I´ve allowed myself to get a little behind which is just so easy to do when things keep happening! So just so you know, I need to write about our trek to Machu Pichu and also now our trek to the Colca Canyon. Both of which were more than fantastic and therefore deserve sufficient writing time and I will take some time out within the next couple of days.Today I´ve had a 'me' day which has been a real treat just because the last few weeks have been incredibly hectic and I have had limited time to myself. This is no bad thing at all but sometimes it's nice just to allow myself and my mind to wander aimlessly and take in everything going on around. I really love Arequipa as well. It is Peru´s second city and supposedly it is also it´s most classy. You can see why when you look at the buildings and the architecture because they are so original and so eye catching. Consequentially I seem to spend far too much time not looking where I'm going causing much frustration to my fellow travellers!Today though, the focus for me was the Monasterio Santa Catalina. Going on the name I was expecting it to be full of monks when in fact it´s a Convent. Apparently it´s the same word in Spanish for both as I was told by my excellent guide Celia. I hired Celia to take me round on a one on one tour in Spanish to get the brain into gear and for an hour and a half she explained the history and the customs old and new that the women were governed by. The building itself was constructed in 1509 when it became the most exclusive convent in the country and became the home for many of the second born girls from wealthy families who would then live there forever following a strict ritual of prayer and religious dedication with very few luxuries. (The reason it was for the second-born girls is because the first born would be married off leaving the second to follow a devout religious regime). In the 1600s, Arequipa was hit by a fierce earthquake (this is not unusual and Arequipa has been hit many times since and will be hit many times again in the future) which meant that a large proportion of the building was destroyed. During the reconstruction of the Monasterio the design and layout of the building changed providing private bedrooms and kitchens for the nuns. As with the change of the building came a change of the rules and customs and in came servants and the opportunity to accept external visitors and throw social "parties". I couldn´t help but think of Sister Act and wonder if they all sat round drinking Pisco Sours and eating Haagan Daas? I doubt it but you never know!Eventually they appointed a mother superior with an iron fist to bring things back in line, but this was the turning point regarding the strictness of how the women lived and now live. Nowadays it is the home to 20 nuns who live in more modern quarters where they have heating and internet access amongst other mod cons to make life more comfortable. Entrance as a nun is purely vocational these days and children are no longer forced to enter against their will - just in case you were wondering!It was money well spent and I even stayed a little longer after the tour in the cafeteria courtyard which is so peaceful. It´s perfect to read a book or in fact just sit and contemplate whatever you want. For the first time in a while I had nothing concrete to do apart from just that and it was really good!From here I wondered down into the Plaza de Armas deciding what to do for lunch. It's so lovely and warm here so I looked for a supermarket with the intention of getting some salad bits and strolling back to our hostal and sit in the garden. 3 blocks later and away from the touristy areas and crowds that fill the main plazas however I came across a small doorway of a Chinese eatery. I´m not a massive Chinese food person but since I've been in Peru I´ve started a love affair with Peruvian-Chinese Wanton soup. This place was full of locals, had a tv blasting out in the corner showing 'Friends' and plastic table cloths as well as a hand written sign stuck on their fridge translating "Come in my friend and take a seat" from Chinese to Spanish! My experience of wanton soup has been different in each place and here I got the best yet. It had loads of chicken, noodles, cabbage, wanton parcels and what I think were quails eggs. I couldn´t eat it all and left uncomfortably full minus 5 soles, about 1 pound 20. Bargain! A great day out and now there's still enough time to read my book, watch a film or just chill on the roof terrace of the hostal in preparation for our big night out. This night out is taking place for two reasons: 1: To celebrate the fact we are still alive after hiking down and back out of the Colca Canyon, (what was the deepest canyon in the world until it recently had its title revoked by its northern neighbour the Canyon Cotahuasi).* (see below)2: It is against our own rules to not have a good night out in a town where we have spent considerable time.So I´m making the most of today and my wholesome smugness because tomorrow will more than likely be a write off! I shall keep you all informed.* I feel it only fair to say that the other night we kind of already celebrated surviving the Colca Canyon……..by accident. That was the unofficial celebration and really is a whole other story but it did put our names on the map of Cabanaconda, the very small town where it all happened!
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