On the 19th of November spent time searching for the "Then and Now" locations.

The first old photograph was shoot from the top of the main Cathedral in Arequipa, Peru.  This picture is from a book call "The Other America",  printed in 1908, and written by Arthur Ruhl.

Yep.. it required the permission to climb to the roof of another Cathedral.

In the picture from 1908, the top of the church was missing.  This area has many earthquakes which require the  rebuilding of many buildings  Also, the arched buildings were only 1 story high in 1908 and now the arches are all 2 stories.  The fountain has also been changed.  The church on which I am taking the picture from had one of the towers leveled about 5 years ago.

This is the tower that we had to gain access to.......
Sandy, two steps short of standing on the roof of the Cathedral.
Another picture, taken while on the roof of the cathedral.
Night shot of the Cathedral.

Sandy, on the roof of the church, about 40 feet above street level.

The next old photo was from a book of the same name "The Other America", but by another author, Edward Tomlison, and printed in 1943 (not 1908).  And, again, the old photo was shot from above ground level.

Remember that in 1908, all the buildings were single story.  From the picture from 1943, they were already raised to 2 story buildings.  The structure on top of the build is exactly as it was in 1943.  Also, notice the volcano, Misti.  Misti is over 19,000 feet high, and it is now snowless! 

This was the second story balcony of a building, which we had to get permission to enter, in order to take the photo (above).  The building was going through a major restoration.

This picture is from a book called "The Other America",  printed in 1908, and written by Arthur Ruhl. Regarding the snow level on Misti, and all the global warming comments..... There was more snow on the peak in 1943 than 1908.... Just maybe, it is a seasonal issue....
And today..... This shot was also taken from the roof of the Cathedral, on Plaza de Armas, in Arequipa, Peru.

Now for the tough "Then and Now"...... and I thought this one would be easy!  We even had the name of the place (Harvard Observatory).  The picture is from Frank Carpenter's "World Travels", printed in 1926.  Again, notice the snow level.

Well..... We looked and looked and looked, with no luck.  We asked dozens of people, and received blank stares.  We thought it was our poor Spanish.  After a day of asking taxi drivers and shop owners, I resorted to the Internet.  Remember that the book was printed in 1926 (the picture, most likely taken in 1925).  This is what we found....

La Estación de Arequipa en el hemisferio sur

La instalación del Observatorio de Arequipa (1890-1926), en Perú, permitió iniciar el estudio del prácticamente incógnito cielo del hemisferio sur por parte del Harvard College Observatory. Este observatorio fue totalmente desmantelado y sus instrumentos trasladados al Boyden Observatory en 1927.

and....

Move to South Africa

• The move was well organized. The move was approved in July of 1927;  first observations were made in September 1927. The Observatory  was declared in full working order in 1933.

Yep... It was moved to South Africa in 1927, where it is still being used....

Now that we had finished the "Then and Now" photo's it was time to move on toward Chile.

Departing the Plaza Melgar Hotel.....
Within miles we were descending into the Atacama Desert.... There are no plants, except along the rivers which flow from the Andes to the East. Yes, those are 8 foot by 8 foot homes, on the alluvial fan.
Stark, except along the waterways.... It does not rain in the Atacama Desert. It is the driest desert in the world.

Sandy, and a very barren Atacama Desert.

We have ridden over 500 miles across this desert, and not a plant in sight.... It is a surrealistic experience. We felt as though we were the only people on the planet!
Houston, we have a problem! Who knows how far this guy had driven, but he was not going any farther, unless he had a way to shrink his cargo! And this is in the middle of "No Where"....
The pictures do not give you any impression of how you feel as you ride forever, and the world is made up of only "Dirt and Rocks". We both enjoyed the starkness and beauty of the ride.
Pure nothingness!
A quick stop for lunch, with our steed parked outside. One of the few streams flows through this area. It seemed as though we got a quick shot of green about every 100 miles!

Mining brought the railroads to the area....

You have to wonder why there would be an accident in the middle of this road, which was straight for over 20 miles. Maybe the driver fell asleep?!?!
I have received a few emails regarding how tough Sandy is, especially since the night in hell. So, I want to show you that I am making it up to her. Nice hotel in Tacna, Peru, Our last night in Peru!
A mini "St. Louis" arch, in Tacna, Peru.

One last thing before we leave Peru.  We visited the Monasterio de Catalina, in Arequipa, Peru.  I would like to share some pictures with you!

The monastery is 425 years old, and VERY photogenic!

 It is very large, with over 100 homes, 60 streets and 3 cloisters.  During the 17th and 18th century, 175 nuns lived here.  Today it houses 29 nuns.  Until 1985 the nuns were completely shut off from the city of Arequipa!

The pictures speak for themselves........  It would be neat to see what a professional photographer could do with this beautiful setting!

An old kitchen.......

Water flows down the carved rock.  The nuns dammed the water near the pipes, which stick out from the channel.  That forces the water into the vases, which have been cut in half.  This is where the laundry was cleaned......

The nuns were allowed 15 minutes a week to talk to relatives.  They sat on the benches on the right hand side of this room.  The walls on the left side were about 3 feet thick, which prevented any physical contact with their families!

My family will be forced to look at over 75 photos from the Monastery........

That's it through the 22nd of November.... and the end of our journey through Ecuador and Peru. 

On to Chile.....

We have traveled 6,112 miles on the motorcycle during the last 87 days.

Hit the "Next" button to continue the trip into Chile..........