After a restful day in Lima, I woke up early to catch a taxi to the Desamparados station in Lima to ride the Ferrocarril Central Andino train to Huancayo. It was once the highest railroad in the world only to be outdone recently by a train in Nepal. I arrived at the station the recommended 30 minutes ahead and waited a short time in line before boarding the train. The cars were made up of one ’classic’ (I.e.-cheap) car, about 5 ’tourist’ cars, a cocina car and of course the engine. I’d opted to take the cheap route and wasn’t disappointed as the seats were fairly comfortable (though maybe not for sleeping) and in general it just seemed like the more fun of the two options. The seats faced each other and I was paired up with a Peruvian lady that kept me entertained most of the trip. We were able to practice our Spanish/English on each other, respectively throughout the journey. In the seats next to us were a Polish girl and a retire German man touring South America.

The train pulled out of the station on time at 7am and wound through some of the poorer neighborhoods of Lima. Because this train only operates twice per month, it was interesting to watch the faces of people along the sidewalks or streets as all activity stopped to see the procession go by. Kids waved and ran along side the train at points, and people stood on rooftops to see what the commotion was about. For the first hour or so, we passed through the city and then into smaller villages gaining elevation until we reached the first stop, a turntable at San Bartolome (4,593‘). The engine switched from one end of the cars to the other and we began a steeper climb through the mountains. We passed through dozens of tunnels and over bridges every few minutes on our way to the high point at Galera Tunnel (just about 16,000’) on our way to the highest train station in the world at Ticlio.

the obligatory 'hanging off the engine' photo
Construction for the railway began in 1870 and was finished in 1909. An American, Henry Meiggs came up with the idea, though Polish engineer Ernest Malinowski was the master designer on the project. Just recently, a resident of Huancayo set out to get the train back up and running and it now brings passengers to Huancayo twice monthly. 

the 'hell' bridge. I didn't ask why it's called that
As we reached the pinnacle of the trip, it began to snow a little and dark clouds awaited us as we descended into the valley towards Huancayo. Rain began to fall, but didn’t deter people in villages from having a look as we passed by. Of all the excitement, the dogs in the towns had the most fun as they chased along side for as long as they good, finally giving up when they couldn’t keep up. Cows jumped from the tracks just in time to avoid their demise (as far as I know, we didn’t take any out). Llamas could be seen in the distance through lush crops and gardens as we entered the greener section of the valley. We came into the outskirts of Huancayo just around 5:30pm, a full 2 hours ahead of schedule. I’d met a couple, Rob and Jessie, from Seattle on the train and we decided to walk over to the Plaza Constitucion to see what accommodations we could find. They had arranged to stay with a Couchsurfer, but were undecided as to if they wanted to go that route after nearly 12 hours of traveling. We found rooms at Hotel Kiya just on the plaza and headed out for a bite to eat. The night ended early for me as I was a bit exhausted and crashed into my hotel room overlooking the plaza. I fell asleep about 9pm watching some English language movie (rare) and woke up at 12:30 to brush my teeth. I opened my toiletry bag and out popped an enormous spider! I’m not a big fan of spiders and to be jarred from my slumber just before going to bed was not cool. I think he had taken a ride from Lima in one of the cardboard encased soaps I’d taken from the B&B there. 

Today, I’ll be heading to a futball match between Huancayo and a Lima team along with Robert and Jessie. Check out their travel blog at www.knkexplore.wordpress.com when you get a chance. I’m really happy to have met them and wish them the best on their 6 month journey. I have a feeling we’ll be meeting again in Seattle in time.

view of the Plaza Constitucion from my hotel room in Huancayo