I´m back in Lima where, over 10 weeks ago, my journey began. It doesn´t seem nearly as large, dangerous, and chaotic as it did back then, which just goes to show that perception is everything. I am dodging six lanes of traffic, hurdling street vendors, and flagging down microbuses like a pro. Bring on Nairobi!
With just one day here until my late night flight takes off (hopefully not on Latin time) tonight, I visited a few places I didn´t have time to see the first time around. Highly recommended is the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera. Most famous for its collection of pre-Incan erotic ceramic art, it has even more fascinating pieces in its textile and metallurgic collections. Its star textile piece is a Paracas (burial shroud) weaving that sets a world-record at 398 threads per linear inch. There are also exquisite gold headdresses, nosepieces, breastplates, and other bodily adornments on display. Perhaps most intriguing, however, is the museum storeroom, where visitors can wander through ceiling-height glass cases that house over 20,000 pieces of museum-quality ceramic art. Most other visitors didn´t seem to visit this part of the museum, so I had it almost to myself, giving it a real ¨From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler¨ feel--or, for the younger generation, something comparable might be Ben Stiller´s ¨Night at the Museum¨.
Set aside some extra time for lunch before or after your visit at the museum´s cafe. With gorgeous, immaculately-attired waiters; delicious nouveau-Peruvian food; and the best service I´ve had on my entire trip, it was a great place to splurge on a nice meal before heading home! The housemade iced tea is excellent.
And if you have some last-minute gift shopping to do, the Mercado de los Indios in Miraflores is a good one-stop-shop with handicrafts from all over Peru. Prices and quality vary, so shop carefully--and keep an eye out for beautiful, high-quality Peruvian cotton items. Ladies back home, get ready for Christmas in August!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Monasterio de Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
I spent much of the day wandering around the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, which has a great website with photos:
http://www.santacatalina.org.pe/mapa_i.htm
Like the convent in Potosi, the nuns here led a cloistered life until the Vatican reforms of the 20th century. For 391 years, they were completely cut off from the outside world. Unlike the convent in Potosi, however, this monastery is a place that I could actually be convinced to live in for the rest of my life.
Declared a UNESCO world heritage site, it is considered one of the most important cultural sites in South America. A walled compound set on five acres, the Monasteriois a city-within-a-city that is so large that it has its own streets. Constructed primarily of the white sillar rock characteristic of this area, it is painted in striking hues of brick red and sky blue. In addition to beautiful murals in the courtyards, the convent also houses an extensive collection of religious paintings, mostly from the famous cuzqueño school. Unlike most groupings of religious art that I have seen, this one has informative signage that makes for an interesting gallery experience. Even the living quarters are lovely--the kitchens have tall ceilings with skylights, and artfully constructed adobe bread ovens; I took a number of pictures because the latest crazy project I´d like to tackle is to build one back home. Rick, will this go well with tea plants and bee hives? Does fresh earthern-oven bread every week sound good?
Not only are there thousands of photo opportunities in the picturesque surroundings, but the monastery has an unqualifiable energy to it...I admit that this sounds a bit New Age, but it is the kind of place that makes you believe in miracles. One of the nuns who lived there in the 17th century, Sor Ana de los Angeles, is famous for innumerable miraculous healings, as well as 68 predictions that were corroborated as having come true. After spending time in her living quarters, I don´t doubt it. Over 300 years after her death, her room still has a downright magical feel to it. After today´s visit, I have decided that if yogis can levitate, and if one´s mind can control one´s physical state, I don´t see why nuns can´t perform healings. I am a believer!
http://www.santacatalina.org.pe/mapa_i.htm
Like the convent in Potosi, the nuns here led a cloistered life until the Vatican reforms of the 20th century. For 391 years, they were completely cut off from the outside world. Unlike the convent in Potosi, however, this monastery is a place that I could actually be convinced to live in for the rest of my life.
Declared a UNESCO world heritage site, it is considered one of the most important cultural sites in South America. A walled compound set on five acres, the Monasteriois a city-within-a-city that is so large that it has its own streets. Constructed primarily of the white sillar rock characteristic of this area, it is painted in striking hues of brick red and sky blue. In addition to beautiful murals in the courtyards, the convent also houses an extensive collection of religious paintings, mostly from the famous cuzqueño school. Unlike most groupings of religious art that I have seen, this one has informative signage that makes for an interesting gallery experience. Even the living quarters are lovely--the kitchens have tall ceilings with skylights, and artfully constructed adobe bread ovens; I took a number of pictures because the latest crazy project I´d like to tackle is to build one back home. Rick, will this go well with tea plants and bee hives? Does fresh earthern-oven bread every week sound good?
Not only are there thousands of photo opportunities in the picturesque surroundings, but the monastery has an unqualifiable energy to it...I admit that this sounds a bit New Age, but it is the kind of place that makes you believe in miracles. One of the nuns who lived there in the 17th century, Sor Ana de los Angeles, is famous for innumerable miraculous healings, as well as 68 predictions that were corroborated as having come true. After spending time in her living quarters, I don´t doubt it. Over 300 years after her death, her room still has a downright magical feel to it. After today´s visit, I have decided that if yogis can levitate, and if one´s mind can control one´s physical state, I don´t see why nuns can´t perform healings. I am a believer!
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