Riding the Train of Death: From the Andes to the Atlantic

After he graduated from university, the author began an extensive 14,000-kilometer transcontinental odyssey across South America in late 1977. His primary motivation was to secure an international teaching position at an advanced educational institution and a stable income.The initial phase involved a train journey from Buenos Aires to Mendoza and then crossing the Andes via the Transandino Railway (unfortunately, no longer in existence). In Chile, he experienced the strained political atmosphere under Augusto Pinochet’s military regime, where the heavy presence of police enforced a state of compliance. Employment inquiries in the Santiago area yielded no suitable opportunities, leading to the second stage of the journey: a bus trip through the dry Atacama Desert to reach Arica in the far north.The Arica-La Paz Railway climbed the vast Andean plateau to Bolivia and one of its capitals: La Paz. Debilitated by altitude sickness (soroche), he experienced a shocking ethical conflict that arose during an interview for a prestigious math professorship at the local university. His journey then continued to lower altitudes in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, where there was little prospect of employment. Proceeding eastward, the journey incorporated the notorious Santa Cruz-Puerto Suárez railway, ominously known as the "Train of Death" (o trem da morte in Portuguese) due to its many historical fatalities.Once in Brazil, and after a long train journey from Corumbá to São Paulo on “o trem da morte”, he focused on interviews at premier institutions in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. While in Rio, he visited its main sights: Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Sugar Loaf, and Corcovado mountains.The return trip took him to the internationally famous Iguazú Falls on the Brazil-Argentina border, where his translation skills were in demand from some culturally ignorant and obnoxious tourists.The completion of this odyssey found him back home in Buenos Aires in late January 1978. This adventurous transcontinental experience, encompassing physical endurance and the navigation of cultural and institutional complexities, became a pivotal moment; it shaped his self-confidence and initiated a trajectory toward an international career. Read more