Arequipa after all

Hello friends,

So, it's been a weekend. Saturday afternoon I went out pisco tasting with friends. We hired a taxi for the afternoon and visited three local bodegas. Each of these is a bit out of town, up on the hill above the city. The first was rustic, but had some very tasty products. The second wasn't officially open for tasting, but let us have a bit anyway. The star there was 'damasco' which is made my infusing pisco with apricots. The result is sweet, syrupy, apricoty deliciousness. Mmmmm. Our third stop was the best. It was actually not where we thought we were going to go, but it turned out to be wonderful. There was an outdoor patio with a view of the sunset over Moquegua, and we were treated to pitcher after pitcher of local wine and pisco along with the entire family of the owner. We chatted and joked together for hours and posed for several group pictures with the family. It was a really wonderful time.

When we got back to town, we met up with some other arch-y folks for dinner at a chicken place, where we were regaled by the local university's folklorica group. For some reason, these guys were all dressed in Rennaissance attire - complete with tights and slops and capes. Go figure. They surrounded our table for quite a while, and I somehow got pinned to waltz with one of them for a song while all of my companions tried to ignore them completely in hopes they'd go away. They played guitar-like instruments of various sizes, including lutes, tiny little ukelale sized guitars, and one which was essentally a wearable cello (my favorite).

After dinner, I check my e-mail. I had a message back from Romulo Pari, the Peruvian archaeologist who offered to sponser my exportation of samples out of Lima. Good news - he was still very willing to help out. Bad news - he had just left Lima and gone to Arequipa, where he'll stay for the duration of my trip. Sigh. So, I knew what I had to do on Sunday. It was a round trip visit to Arequipa for me.

I was out of my hotel before 7, and walked over to the archaeologist house where Bill Whitehead made me actual Pete's coffee (blessed be). He then walked with me to the museum and opened up the office so I could print my new letters for Romulo to sign. By 8:40, I was on a bus to Arequipa. Good news - I got the last seat! Bad news - the last seat is in the very back row of the bus, right next to the bathroom! Oh well, I was still rolling.

The ride to Arequipa usually takes 4 hours. We made good time though, clocking in at about 3 and 1/2. Along the way, we were treated to the second half of Rambo and all of Rambo II. I don't know what it is about Peruvians and violent American movies, but they're almost always featured on bus rides. Oh, and there aren't headphones. You get to hear the movie whether you really want to or not (dubbed in Spanish of course).

Anyway, I was in Arequipa by noon, and set out to find my old favorite restaurant and my favorite shop there. I succeeded in neither quest. Either they've moved or they've closed. Sad. But I did happen on a big parade featuring costumed and masked dancers and bands with their music taped to the backs of the players in front of them (conspicously there were no trombones - perhaps a safety issue!). I'm not sure why there was a parade. Several local villages were represented there. Also in attendence was Barney the dinosaur - my second Barney sighting this trip (again, what's up with that?).

After a lovely italian lunch (with another cup of coffee!), I tried to call Romulo with no luck. Yikes. So, I wandered a bit more, and bought a few supplies that I needed. I checked my e-mail in case he'd left a message. Nope. At 3:30, I tried his phone again, and this time got an answer. Hooray! He'd meet me in front of the cathedral on the plaza at 5. So, I returned to wandering and poking around in the shops and such.

I was surprised to hear my name called, and looked across the street to see the archaeologist Paul Goldstein and his family. They invited me up to a restaurant overlooking the plaza for a pisco sour (the foamy, lime juice and pisco, specialty drink of Peru). Fabulous. We sat in the sun, watched people wander in the plaza, saw another small parade/procession, and were regaled with monster riddles by Paul's daughter. It was lovely.

At 5, I met up with Romulo. We went to a coffee shop and chatted over cappucinos (coffee number three for the day! Wowza.) He signed my letters, and put me in a cab, and I was off to the bus station. Again, I got the last seat available on the next bus to Moquegua. Fabulous luck! This time there was no Rambo. Instead there was a movie called "Facing the Giants" which has the message that "with God, all things are possible", particularly if you're trying to win a high school football championship. It was amusing.

Today, I went to the museum, then over to the INC. The directora was there, and I am now sitting here in the internet cafe with signed authorization letters to transport my samples to Lima. Woo hoo! I also have my samples with me - a box of 55 assorted mummy bits in a tupperware container which I bought in the market here. The container is made by the Rey (King) company, who's motto is "God is Love". I wonder what the other folks in this internet place would think if they knew what's in my "God is Love" box...

So tonight, I'll be on the night bus to Lima. It leaves at 5:30pm and arrives sometime in the late morning tomorrow. I have a cushy "bus-cama" seat, which is a lot like a first-class plane seat. This should make the trip very comfy. I wonder what movie they'll show.

I'll write you all from Lima!

Karen

p.s. It's my first wedding anniversary today and here I am in Peru. My husband thinks this is very funny. Happy anniversary Steve! Thank you for being so supportive of your crazy wife and all her mummy-business.