Discovering the Andes 11road and a sign says, "Punto Ferroviario Mas Alto del
Mundo," Highest Railway Point in the World. A figure is
given in both meters and feet: 4,818 meters and 15,
feet above sea level.
Reading that made me even sicker. I stopped the car
and had to throw up. As my nausea eased, I looked up
and saw another sign. This one said, "Existen Los
Platillos Voladores, Contacto Con Ovnis," or, Flying
Saucers Do Exist-UFO Contact Point." Below that
were some words in Spanish to the effect that one
should be prepared to meet them.
Even in my misery at that moment, I managed an
uncomfortable smirk. I was in no mood for jokes. I
figured some Peruvian clown had gone to a lot of
trouble, coming all the way to this high point of the
world, 16,000 feet above sea level, to put up a crazy sign.
If any place could be called "the middle of nowhere," this
was it.
The drive got smoother as I continued my journey.
The road, paved at some intervals, started descending.
From that high point, one of the most beautiful natural
panoramas I had ever seen unfolded in front of my eyes.
The mountainous terrain was filled with large cliffs,
blue lakes, steep canyons and rolling green hills. I paused
to ponder the triumph of engineering that was able to
build a railroad at this altitude in this kind of topography.
It was a little past four when I arrived in Huancayo. In
spite of the height, it was warm and sunny. The beauty
of the countryside soothed my mood and though I still
had a slight headache I was beginning to feel like my old
self. I drove around the city for a while, but found
nothing charming about it. It was commercial, big, dirty,
and contained no visible tourist attractions to speak of.
What a bummer, I thought, marooned here until the
Sunday Fair. I tried to console myself that the beauty of
the countryside made the trip worthwhile. I brought the