We're two sisters who are craft book publishers and found ourselves in the midst of an avocado grove. We bought this house where we planned to conduct our publishing business and in the deal got 4 acres of avocado trees thrown in. Now we're not only publishers but ranchers as well! This blog is all about avocados and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Sepia Saturday 232 - I survived the Lima to Huancayo train trip

This week the theme for Sepia Saturday is railroads, trains, tracks, perspective, etc. I've decided to write about my most harrowing train ride - the one from Lima to Huancayo in Peru.

Here I am on the trip to Peru. This was in 1971 (I was a lot younger and way more adventuresome).


I was with a group of 11 people (2 anthropology professors and 9 students from Cal State LA University.) We were on an archeological survey on the north coast of Peru. During our 3 months there we took several side trips and one was from Lima to Huancayo on the highest train in the Americas (it used to be in the world, but now there's a higher one in Tibet).  This particular train soars to 15,839 feet up into the Andes.



It's a historic route.  The more than 500 kilometers of tracks were planned out by Ernesto Malinowski and Henry Meiggs in 1870 and laid down by thousands of laborers, including Chinese who were brought to the country for this task that ended in 1893.

The train passes through 69 tunnels, goes over 58 bridges including the Carrión and Infiernillo and 6 zigzag paths.



Because of the high elevation, there was a nurse at the ready to make sure that no one was overcome with altitude sickness. She had a portable oxygen tank and could dispense oxygen to those who appeared sick. Our group had come prepared with lots of chocolate bars - someone had told us this was the best antidote for altitude sickness. No one in our party got sick so maybe chocolate really did the trick.

When we finally got to Huancayo, it happened to be market day. The high altitude did not keep us from a day of shopping.


This is a map of the route just to give you an idea:

If you're ever in Peru and you're a train buff, you might want to try this trip Lima to huancayo.

Roll on down the track and check out more train stories on sepia saturday.


  
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13 comments:

  1. Mike BrubakerJune 13, 2014 at 6:12 PM

    That must have been a super adventure over an unforgettable landscape. I think chocolate is a great remedy for just about any ailment.

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  2. La NightingailJune 13, 2014 at 8:55 PM

    What a trip - all round, but especially the train trip. I can't imagine shopping at almost 16,000 feet. I think I'd be walking around v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. But what an adventure that must have been!

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  3. JofeathJune 14, 2014 at 2:46 AM

    Sounds like it was a fascinating trip, and not too harrowing if you didn't get sick.

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  4. Jackie McGuinnessJune 14, 2014 at 5:41 AM

    What an adventure!!!

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  5. WendyJune 14, 2014 at 7:21 AM

    If I had to carry a bedroll on my back, I wouldn't go anywhere. I bow to the master of adventuresomeness! (Oh, but it sounds like a wonderful trip - and on market day!)

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  6. PostcardyJune 14, 2014 at 9:14 AM

    Great adventure. I still have the backpack I got around that time. I haven't used it since the 1970s and feel that it is now time to get rid of it.

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  7. Helen Killeen Bauch McHargueJune 14, 2014 at 8:03 PM

    I'm buying chocolate to take to Tibet. That train must be all tunnels and twists and turns. What an adventure! I wish I could have taken that trip with you.

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  8. violet sJune 14, 2014 at 11:03 PM

    A trip that was not for the faint of heart!

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  9. Little NellJune 15, 2014 at 3:04 AM

    That’s quite an adventure and a great memory to have. I’m with Mike on the chocolate cure.

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  10. NancyJune 15, 2014 at 11:08 AM

    What an adventure to ride that train so high above ground and at so high an altitude. I don't know that I would have altitude sickness - unless that means being queasy at the idea of being so high above ground with only a few pieces of metal hold the train up!

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  11. BoobookJune 16, 2014 at 6:01 AM

    What an amazing train line and what an adventure.

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  12. Bob ScotneyJune 16, 2014 at 6:36 AM

    I have always regretted losing the opportunity to work in Peru when the company we were dealing with pulled out at the last moment. This train journey must have been a marvellous experience.

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  13. SharonJune 17, 2014 at 4:35 AM

    What an amazing experience! Peru is on my bucket list!

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