Diario las Américas., 1958-08-21
Know thy
Neigh.borI
By ANTONIO RUIZ

PERU (Continued) - For
those in search of beautiful pan
dramas, Peru offers multiple op-
portunities because of the variety
of its climate and landscapes. The
country can be crossed along the
coastline by the Pan American
Highway, whic h starts at the
northern border with Ecuador to
end at the southern border with
Chile. Three fourths of this high
way are paved and the balance,
although not paved, is an excel
lent road.
Several years ago, Peruvian en-
gineers on the road discovered, in
a lost convent in the interior of
the country, the map of the route
followed by Father Abad to arrive
in the eastern jungles, in his pen
etration during missionary work
in the time of the colony, and
found Padre Abad Pass" which
serves as a natural direct COM
munication with the jungle. Leav-
ing from the modern city of Tin
go Maria, located on the Huallaga
River, this route crosses the i'm
portant Aguaytia River by the
longest suspension bridge in Pc
ri, and reaches Pucallpa, a town
founded not long ago on the Uca-
yali River, and in which there is a
heavy river traffic the year round.
The trip from Lima to lingo Maria
or ,Pueallpa brings knowledge of
all the climates and all the varie-'
ties Of the fauna and flora of Pc
ri.
The vast Valley of the Mantaro
River, in the Department of Junin,
offers the most beautiful landscape
and an excellent climate. 1t has
the great attraction of the Sunday
Fairs in Huancayo, where the In
dians of the whole region buy
and sell the products of their art
istic and well organized home in
dustries. One can also see the pro-
gressive Indian communities, or
carnations typical of Peru, the
roots of which go back 20 the leg.
endary times of the Incas, and a
series of small towns with beauti-
full churches and typical Indian
customs. The highway leads to the
Callejon de Huaylas, which present
some of the most beautiful land
scapes of Peru, very similar to
those of Switzerland and Southern
Germany.
For the visitor interested in the
vestiges of the past, Peru offers
incompatible archaeological ruins
and the great wealth of the mu-
seums. For the n who wants to
admire the melting of the West
ern and Indian races through the
architectural manifestations and
typical cities, the colonial era left
splendid samples of wealth and the
customs of the people of the Isle.
ira" contain distinctive folklore
manifestations. To those looking
only for the pleasure of admiring
the most beautiful landscapes in
the world, Peru has them.
The roads of Peru are said to be
among the best in South America.
although in very few parts of the
continent there have been pro.
Dlems as difficult as those Peru
7ian engineers Nave had to solve.
high mountains, deserts, deep ra-
vines, wide waterways to be
crossed, tropical jungles, etc. AL
though it may seem unbelievable,
a Peruvian travelling by automo.
bile from Lima to Tarma, in ten
hours, rises from sea level to al
most $4,000 feet above sea level, to
descend then to the jungle, and he
experiences enormous changes of
temperature from the normal of
the coast, to the tropical, going
through several regions where it
is below freezing point, which is
very frequent in the heights of
the Andes
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