The Peru Chronicles - Living in Interesting Times

Lima to Ticlio to Huancayo

The first time I went to Huancayo, we traveled during the day so I would be able to see. Unfortunately, we were on the right hand side of the bus, and the best views were from the left side. Never the less, I saw a lot of interesting things and took a lot of pictures through the (unopenable) bus window.

We left Lima in the morning, around 7:30. The bus went through some really unpleasant areas of the city before we finally got on the carretera (highway) and began ascending the Andes. I was amazed at how fast we ascended - the bus was constantly inclined.

After leaving Lima we passed a wide variety of areas. Some lovely towns like Chosica, where Paty used to go on vacation as a girl. And many shacks right next to the carretera where we saw people washing their clothes or washing passing mining trucks. But no matter where we were, we could always find political slogans painted on walls, or even etched into the hillside. (For example, in the upper left corner of the picture above, you can see the symbol for Alan Garcia's party etched onto the hillside above an "invasion" area.)

The sign reads: Ticlio, tourist location, 4818 meters above sea level, highest railroad crossing in the world. (One supposes that the building beneath the peaks is a mining-related structure.)

Here's another picture in Ticlio, notice the two miners in the foreground.

Washing clothes - note the miner in the background with his yellow hardhat. This was a typical scene on the route from Lima to Huancayo.

A grocery store at the top of the world. The sign says, "Lamb broth, fresh milk." In the window you can see the reflection of our bus, Cruz del Sur (Southern Cross).

Coming down from Ticlio, we passed through La Oroya, a typical high-mountain mining town.

Finally, your intrepid travelers. This picture was shot for us by a German tourist whom we later ran into in downtown Huancayo in the Plaza de la Constitucion. (Actually, my neck was killing me. For seven hours I had been rubber-necking to see every detail from the bus window.)