Arequipa 3-4 Feb

From Camana we drove up and up into a highland desert which didn't look really any different from the lowland desert! We arrived in Arequipa around midday and found a hotel about a 10 min walk from the historic centre. After a bit of a rest we went to have a look around.
The streets are narrow and cobbled and packed with taxis driving manically without any indication of where they are going. The pavements are narrow and filled with people making it quite an effort to get anywhere. We found it very difficult to find cold drinks, it seems that, even though it is really hot, people drink room temperature drinks - strange!
We made our way up to the main square where cool colonnades allowed us to escape the sun. The municipal palace (town hall) was on one side surrounding a beautiful courtyard (that we weren't allowed in!) and opposite was the cathedral. Between was a park full of people sitting and chatting or feeding the pigeons. It seemed a very popular place to hang out.
After feeding the pigeons (and catching one to free it from some plastic rubbish that was tangled round its leg), we walked into and then through the cathedral into a lovely little shady passageway full of cafes. We sat on a rooftop and ate avocado and cheese sandwiches, pizza and Celso had a huge steak, mashed potato and veg.
We wandered the streets as the sun went down casting a hazy red light over the white colonial buildings and then returned to our hotel to find that we were too late for hot showers as the water was heated by a solar system and once it had cooled down there was nothing that could be done!
On Thursday we had an amazingly long lie in until after 10am - bliss.
Then off into the centre again to look at all the shops. We have bought an Alpaca rug for beside Tristan's bed so that he will remember his travels everytime he stands on it and a wooden carved mask that caught our fancy. We could have spent loads and loads but we are trying to be frugal!
We visited the Santa Catalina Convent (they call it a monestary but I thought that was only for monks), which was founded in 1579, only 40 years after the Spanish reached this area. It was a completely closed society until the 1970s but then the number of nuns dropped (there are now just 30) so they had to open the area to the public to try to maintain it. It is like a city within a city with named streets, cloistered squares, fountains and 'owned' cells. After an earthquake desimated the convent some of the nun's families help to rebuild the cells but then after that the cells were sold from one nun to the next. There is a real difference between cells, some are tiny single roomed affairs whilst others have private courtyards and kitchens.
All the goods that were delivered to the convent were placed on little rotating shelves that could then be turned to bring the goods within without any contact having to be made between the seller and the nuns. They also had a private area at the back of the church separated from the rest of the congregation by two wooden grates and any visitors were also spoken to through fine wooden grating. However the visitors had to have permission from the bishop first in order to gain an audience with any of the nuns.
Not anybody could become a nun, you had to pay 100 pesos for your board and lodging during your novice year and also provide the clothes, bedding and furniture for your cell, so it was mainly a rich woman's pursuit. The other option for them was to be married off to someone of their family's chosing, so I suppose it may have been an attractive option for some.
We had lunch accompanied by a couple of parrots in the little shady passageway again and then more wandering of the streets brought us finally back to the hotel (a little earlier this time to ensure we could get some hot water!).