Train to and from Huancayo

By Taylor Flanagan

--The service - The staff was very friendly and spoke both English and very clearly pronounced Spanish (good for practicing).
--Food - There weren't any vegetarian options.
--Party Car - The last car on the train had a little bar and music and a lovely view. It was really fun to try dancing as the car rocked (and jerked) back and forth.
--The mountains - The mountains were beautiful and it was made even more amazing by the fact that we could see the sun for the first time since we arrived.
--The towns - There were lots of little towns by the tracks and (since the train only runs about once a month) the people that saw the train pass by would wave excitedly and follow along sometimes with their children.
--The cactus - There were fields and fields of cactus plants that were being farmed for the little bugs that stay on them (they are used for red dyes).
--The farming - There were these crops that were made on the these different levels so they looked like big green steps along the mountains. This is apparently done so that different kinds of crops can be grown at once (in the different altitudes).
--Jesus - There were white statues of jesus everywhere.
--Altitude Sickness - At about 10,000 feet above sea level people started to feel really bad. Stomache, sinuses, etc. This made it hard for a lot of people to do anything but sleep on the train from that point on. And, since I was pretty much fine, I got very bored without other people awake and well.
--Upgrade - On our way back we got upgraded to the Tourist Class because they had seats available (which was good because the way back was from 6pm to 7am and the Tourist Class is the only one with recling seats).
Comments:
I would not miss this trip. The scenery is beautiful and the altitude sickness is probably a small price to pay for the lovely mountain air and chance to see a blue sky.