Our first glimpse of life in the highlands of the Andes was at the end of our last dirt road before ten days of walking. We were descending on Cachora in a van and encountered a girl-woman of 14 or 15 years of age. She was running fast uphill, above 9500 feet, number 11 on the back of her jersey. JB thinks she is training for football: Peruvian women do better at it than the men. IH imagines her in the next Olympics. One of the great things about being on holiday is that we can imagine, and also believe, everything we are told.

LRB 10 September 2009 | PDF Download