Ed sat in the front seat directly behind the driver and since that window seat was broken, I was in the far back in my own single window seat on the opposite side of the van. Off we went... it was about 3 1/2 hour drive to Alausi were we caught the Devil's Nose Train.
First, you have to understand there is NO Interstate highways in Ecuador. They are a two-lane paved roads and we zip along between 40 to 55 mph and passing any slow moving vehicles. Yes, at time it was a little hair raising as I looked out my window and only saw a side of a cliff, or we were passing on a curve.
During the ride we drove through some of the most beautiful countryside. My problem was taking pictures in a moving van. I had to slide open my window to snap a picture. I could not keep my window open because it was too windy and cold on my fellow passengers. So, I had to be fast on sliding the window open, focusing the camera and snapping a picture, which meant I lost a lot of good scenery.
We drove through lots a small villages and it was great just people watching. Look closely behind this colorful lady and see the pig's head hanging, breakfast was being served.
Alausi - across from the train station
We arrived around 10:30am in Alausi. We had time for a 'bano' (bathroom) break and get our ticket and passport stamped. We didn't get to see any of the small town for the main attraction was the Devil's Nose train.
Our group getting on the train
What I found very interesting was our "seats" were regular chairs with padded bottoms, high backs and wooden arms & arranged in the train car - no they were not bolted to the floor. Yes, they could be moved around. The train was very slow moving and I was able to snap a few good pictures from the closed train window.
When we departed from the station, we entered a valley and traversed the sides of the mountains down to the valley floor far below.
Devil's Nose is the peak & the Visitor's Center & Museum is the white building
I really didn't find the valley that we traveled through that beautiful because it was all kinda of all brown. It couldn't be called 'lush' but more arid with the many kinds of cactus to be the main resident plant.
When we arrived at the station in the floor of the valley, we were greeted by a local llama (tourist attraction). You could have your picture taken with him for 50 cents. There was a cafe where we received a 'snack' that was included in the price of our train ticket. The snack was a coffee, tea or glass of juice and a small roll with a single slice of meat (unknown variety). The train didn't depart this station for one hour, so we had more than enough time to explore and visit the museum.
Ed then walked the hundred plus stairs up to the museum. It told the story of how this railroad was built through these mountains and how many people lost their lives building it. I stayed below and took pictures of the catus plants around the station.
View from the museum & looking down on the train station where we arrive at Devil's Nose
The many stairs that Ed climbed to the museum
Then, it was the climb back up from the valley floor. It seemed it was much "faster" going up then when we can down. It was about a 20 minute ride up. We were greeted at the station by our van and off we went to our next stop.
We were given a boxed lunch provided by the tour company. Even with the snack provided at the train cafe, the group dig into their lunches. I had packed Ed and I a fresh baked chicken sandwich (leftovers from the night before). I really enjoyed that.
We were off to our next destination, the top of El Chimborazo Mountain. But, our guide had to stop the van at one point to show us the movement of the layers of rock. All Gringos jumped out of the van and took pictures along side of the road. I wonder what the locals thought as they passed us by... crazy Gringos! I think it looked more like a Chinese fire drill.
El Chimborazo (volcano) is the highest peak in Ecuador at the height of 20,702 feet. It is located in the Central Andes Mountain Range. Our van drove over a rough dirt road once we entered the Chimborazo National Park. On the ride up we got to see several groups of Vicunas, that live only in the high alpine areas across the Andes. They live on the dry paramo vegetation, high altitude grasslands that cover most of the Andes at this altitude. They are slender, with long skinny limbs and necks with small heads. They were just beautiful... We did not get out of the van but it did stop for us to take pictures out the windows.
The higher we went the more it began to resemble a moon scape...
When we reached the highest point the van could drive us, there was a "cabin" that served us coffee, tea or hot cocoa. This was at the elevation of 15,750 feet! There was a very small fire in the cabin but really didn't add any warmth. The main purpose of our trip there was to climb to 16,400 feet to the breathtaking view of the glaciers, well the clouds were as thick as pea soup we couldn't see anything. Several of our group climbed a little higher to see the monument. It is where several people are buried because they loved Ecuador and had selected this place as their final place. We stayed for about 40 minutes and I did get a headache as we went higher in altitude, but Ed didn't have any problems.
I was able to stand at the back of the cabin and zoom in with my camera, no need for me to walk up there.
A marker for someone from Ireland
It was late afternoon and we still had about a 90 minute ride to reach Riobamba where we were spending the night. So, off we went to lower elevations and beautiful valleys again.
We spent the night at Hacienda Abraspungo in Riobamba. That city is surrounded by 4 volcanoes: Chimborazo (where we visited), Altar, Cubillines and Tungurahua. The Hacienda was lovely and had a great restaurant. We put our bags in our room and headed for a drink and dinner.
Sitting by a fireplace to warm the old bones after being on the mountain & a good beer helped
The restaurant in Hacienda Abraspungo
I was so hungry that I didn't bother taking any pictures of our dinner. I had their fillet Mignon that had a red wine & mushroom sauce, excellent! Ed had a seafood pasta dish that he really liked.
The next morning we departed the Hacienda at 8:00 for our next full day of exploring. Our first stop was a very old church, dating back to 1500 something.
From the visit to the church, back on the mini-van and to our next destination, Guamote and their Indigenous market. Our first glimpse of Guamote was from the top of a hill and the town was much larger then we expected.
The main church in the center of Guamote & would be our starting point to visit the Market
The town was on lots of hills and the Market was through out the whole town. We did lots of walking.
These are just pictures taken around the market:
Children are children in any country...
Selling blankets out of his car....
Everything a rancher/cowboy would need
A young girls eyes goes to the baubles...
Beads sold by the string... I didn't understand their price but I'm sure they come from China
Sewing repairs while you wait... a peddle type of machine
I wonder if the sheep is going to market or just bought & going to new home?
Not willing to go to market!
Bunches of bananas....
Red Bananas
The fresh fruits & veggie part of the market
These are blocks of brown sugar wrapped in dried leaves
Our time at the Guamote Indigenous Market was done and it was time to return to our van. These kids gathered around the van to meet the Gringos... They love to practice their little English.
We were now on our way to lunch at Posada Ingapirca. The countryside that we travel through was over one mountain and then another. I did take a few pictures while in the van traveling.
My soup started - the broth was chicken based but I have NO idea what the "pasta" was
I have the grilled pork chop & it came with potatoes and rice. The pea & lima bean mixture was dressed with mayonnaise = interesting
Plant on side of tree in coconut shell - in front of restaurant
Pine tree on restaurant property - really pretty
This is a flower on a tree they called the Trumpet or Tulip???
The Ingapirca Ruins - they say these are the "best" ruins in Ecuador
These Llamas were grazing almost next to the Inca Ruins
We arrived back in Cuenca about 6:30PM exhausted and dragging our butts but oh we had a great time and made new friends. Ed and I grabbed a taxi to return to the condo. Friday & Saturday was again more moving into our new place....
Have a great day....
Peggy
No comments:
Post a Comment