September 8th, 2009
We awoke and had breakfast at the hotel on the first full day of the rest of our trip that now rested solely on our shoulders. We really appreciate all that Jessica and Carla from PromPeru did for us as well as our guides and drivers, Yolanda, Antero, Enrique, Juan Arrieta and, Eric, and the staff from Domiruth.
After breakfast, we had to choose which bus company to use for our trip to Huancayo. A few phone calls later and we had made up our minds in favor of Cruz del Sur. We bought tickets for a 1:30 P.M. departure from the Javier Prado bus terminal and an 8 P.M. arrival in Huancayo. We also had to decide on which hotel to stay at since there were a couple that looked really good and that had vacancies; the Marquez Hostal was located next to the bus station and the other closer to downtown, the President Hotel.
We could have taken a train to Huancayo if the dates had worked out, but our schedules just didn’t mesh. The Central Andean Railway runs a train out of Lima to Huancayo two times a month. It also has the second highest train station in the world. You can find them on the World Wide Web (Ferrocarril Central Andino).
We walked for awhile around Miraflores and then caught a taxi for the bus terminal at 12 P.M. While checking our bags, we realized things had changed since 2007. There were more ticket windows, a larger baggage check section, and an Internet kiosk.
We were a little worried about this trip to Huancayo because of altitude sickness. Not only is the city a lot higher than Lima (3244 meters), but we are crossing the Andes at the Ticlio Pass, 4800 meters high.
We began boarding procedures at 1 P.M. with a check of our passports and boarded the bus. We were all videotaped once all the passengers were aboard.
The bus was comfortable, seats wide and cushy. We left right on time and were served lunch a little while later.
As we leave the city of Lima, we can see all the houses built and being built on the hillsides, which are gray, rocky, and lifeless.
Yet, as we climb, the surroundings change. The steep mountains sprout green with vegetation.
Everything was going great until about 4:45 P.M. We had just driven through the village of Chicla, over 3600 meters, and the bus suddenly stopped. The driver told us he had received news of thick fog and snow at the Ticlio Pass, highest on the route, and we could not go forward. We had to stay where we were, turn off the motor, and wait, without heat and with the temperature dropping.
Lucky for us, five minutes later we started moving again. But, unlucky for us, we ran into some fallen rocks at the first curve and the driver had to do some fancy maneuvering to be able to continue on. Then, the Cruz del Sur staff began a game of bingo with the passengers to pass the time with the winner receiving a free round trip bus ticket… but we were not the lucky ones.
At about 5:40 P.M., the bus stopped again in the middle of the road. We had bad weather, yes, but now we had to contend with a miners’ strike in a town we were to pass through. It wasn’t until 9 P.M. that we started moving again. The elevation was around 4000 meters and we were really feeling the effects of altitude sickness: headaches, nausea, and that general achy body feeling. We finally made it to Huancayo at about 1 A.M. What a trip! We wouldn’t wish that on our worst enemy. We walked straight to the nearest hotel, but there were no vacancies, so we had to grab a taxi to drive us to the President Hotel.
Tomorrow is a new day.
