Taking it Easy in Huancayo

From Jauja, we continue in the direction the Inca Road (Camino Real) to Huancayo, which is Calle Real, still a main thoroughfare, though Huancayo's growth was only kicked off by the railroad starting in the 20th century. In the middle of wide, fertile, Mantaro Valley, with higher mountains all around, none of the visuals scream 10000ft except my soroche.

Huancayo is supposed to have a big Sunday Market. We made the obligatory round, were not at all impressed. We later realized everyone was in the mall. In fact, there looks to be a new mall in the center. On the other hand, we were impressed by the number of vegetarian restaurants, close to 10!

A sprawling city of 350,000, Huancayo has lots of traffic congestion, though the shared vans/cars made getting fairly easy to get around. We made a trip to the convent of Santa Rosa de Ocopa, known for its library and religious art collection. I found the original convent from the 1700s unique: it is what I would imagine a Lilliputian convent to be like. We also make a trip to the archaeological site of Arwaturo by the Wari(Huari) people of the Mantaro Valley. At this site, all that remain are square or rectangular buildings that were used by the Wari for food storage.

After an uneventful but increasingly slower and slower bus ride on a Huancayo Iqueredze (Left Bank) bound bus (3.5 soles, 50 kms, 2 hrs), we were dropped off near the Terminal Los Andes. With no accommodation booked, we looked. One of the places we checked out, Hotel Kiya, had rooms with a great view of Plaza de la Constitución, but the rooms were dark and dated; we passed.


We ended up at Hotel Los Balcones, just off Plaza de la Constitución with a view of the Cathedral dome.


It's Sunday, market day, but first lunch. We have a dilemma. There are 10 vegetarian restaurants clustered together on Jr Arequipa to choose from. We pick Vegetariano "El Paraiso" where the lunch menu is 5 soles ($1.50 US). Soups with fava bean appetizer.


Tallarines (noodles) with potatoes covered in huancaina sauce.


We are now ready to tackle the Sunday Market.




We buy some granadillas.


Looking down Huancavalica Av.


The next morning we catch the elusive (2.5 soles) minivan that goes all the way to the plaza in Santa Rosa de Ocopa and then walk about 400 meters to the Convento. Admission is 8 soles in includes a mandatory guided tour. Our guide was excellent. She spoke very clear Spanish, was knowledgeable, and obviously liked her job. Travelers note that the "conductor" on vans that go all the way to Santa Rosa de Ocopa shout out "Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa!" not "Ocopa, Ocopa.


The chapel dedicated to Santa Rosa.


One of the cloisters.


The refectory was painted 26 years ago like this.




The library, complete with card catalog.


The Convento also houses a pinacoteca with Heaven and Hell paintings and a natural history wing with tons of stuffed animals from the Amazon.






We were pleasantly surprised to see the original modest cloister and chapel have survived. Oh, the Convento is of the Franciscan order and that's a statue of St Francis of Assisi.


Chapel.


The adjoining church burned around 1900 and was rebuilt with some decorative elements popular in that era; e.g., the colors, borders,and stained glass.




The Convento's cemetery.


Back home and out for a veg dinner. First the 2 soups.


Then the "in season" asparagus.


And a soy steak over yucca.


Getting to Centro Arqueológico de Arwaturo was not quite as easy as getting to the Convento. We first caught a van to Chupaca (1.40 soles); then changed to a car (2 soles) to Ahuac where the driver dropped us right at the base of the steps up to the site. Great views on walk up to the ruins.











Did a photo exchange with a friendly father-son tean from Lima.




The ruins are a series of rectangular structures that are aligned north-south along the top of the ridge.






Looking east between the structures.


Veg dinner. Soup.


Local fava beans and two types of local potatoes.


Table #10 is a winner!


Walking home from dinner on Calle Real, the former Incan road.


Checkout the rig of this ambulatory vendor selling headphones.




My fav building in Huancayo: Auditorio Nuestra Señora Del Valle.