Arequipa

Arrived late afternoon at the "white city" of Arequipa and went to a local pizza place for dinner.

No trip to Arequipa would be complete without paying a visit to Juanita, the "Ice Maiden." This mummy of a young Inca girl has been described as one of the 10 most important historical discoveries of recent times by Time Magazine. Because the body was frozen at such low temperatures and high altitude, a really extensive study into the physical health of ancient Peruvian civilizations has been possible, with fascinating results (copy and paste). No photos allowed here but you couldn't even see much of the Ice Maiden regardless due to the very low light level.

Also paid a visit to the Santa Catalina Convent, which is in the centre of the town. Its quite a big complex and it is like a mini city all of its own with streets and little houses throughout. There are still a few nuns left here, 30 odd, but we couldn't go into those areas.