Arriving in Huancayo you get the impression of arriving in some Wild West frontier town. Suburbs, dusty, chaotic streets, people wandering seemingly at random - only the whip-poor-will is missing - and all around the mountains rise and surround. Yet the Andean plateau plains on which Huancayo is built give the whole scene an air of welcome space often missing in the Andes. Huancayo is an arresting town. It's modern yet traditional. There's good accommodation and top-class wine-and-dineries to wash off the dust of the mountains and taste hearty local fare, all to the accompaniment of crisp Peruvian wines or local boutique beer.