The journey by minibus (colectivo) climbs with exaggerated steepness starting from 2300 meters above sea level of Abancay to get well over 4000 meters and finally descend again. The route runs through the district of Apurimac, one of the most isolated and wild in Peru. We reach Andahuaylas late at night. The long journey is enlivened by music and the human contact that is created in the minibus filled up to bursting with people, things and animals. A baby named Annibal and his young mother sit next to me.

The scenery is lovely, and alfalfa fields of maize give way to small villages of adobe houses, a few caws, where humans have wisely sweetened the fertile but steep sides of the mountains. The people are very welcoming and nice.