Above us, the mountains are a constantly changing sea of greenish, reddish and yellow tints. This is the first time I have felt the enormity of the landscape. Tourists drink mate, a traditional Argentine tea sipped from a gourd through a metal straw. Small talk dies away as passengers lose breath. Some try the coca leaves dished out in plastic bags.
Some passengers suffer from altitude sickness.
It's a stimulant and will help ease any symptoms. Some passengers fall ill or puff on the oxygen canisters, but not Mataitis Lituano, who nonchalantly spits out a coca leaf. He says he is unaffected by altitude sickness. I am 81 years old and don't feel anything. Indeed, our train corkscrews crazily around itself, gaining ground in a big circle before crossing a trestle over the rails we had just traveled below.