August 8, 2006 - Heading South
Today’s the first day we really get out of the Quito area, which we’re ready for, as Quito is really a big city and we’re excited to see more of the country. We have the usual breakfast at Los Alpes and then Walter comes to pick us up and head south to Riobamba. It’s a bright, clear day in Quito, with just a few clouds, so we’re hoping the weather will hold up as we head south so we can see the various volcanoes between Quito and Riobamba. Walter routes us around the Pan-American Highway for awhile, as he says near Quito it is quite congested. The weather holds up for awhile and we are rewarded with good views of Cotopaxi (one of Ecuador’s most famous volcanoes) and several other of the more northern volcanoes, including Illiniza Norte and Sur (North and South) and El Corazon.
The Ecuadorian countryside
A great view of Cotapaxi
A ways north of Latacunga the clouds closed in and we didn’t see much of the more southern peaks, such as Tungurahua and Chimborazo today (but we’ll have more chances to see the “Mama” and “Papa” volcanoes as they are known). At several points on the drive to Riobamba, we hit elevations of approximately 11,700 feet (according to my trusty GPS unit), with elevations between 8,000 and 10,000 feet more common. This certainly is called the avenue of the volcanoes for a reason, though we haven’t seen any volcanic activity to date during our visit.
In Latacunga we made a stop and Walter arranged for us to try a few local specialties, including Queso de Hoja (cheese in a big green leaf that is similar to string cheese), dulce guayaba (a fig sweet that reminds me of fruit rollups), and dulce de leche (a sweet that is similar to vanilla fudge). Very good mid-morning snacks!
John trying out the cheese
The next major city we reach is Ambato, birthplace of Mom, and she is quite excited to be back after so many years! We’re making good time, so Walter stops in front of the Casa Museo de Juan Leon Mera, home of the famed Ecuadorian musician, writer, and painter, and possibly best known for writing Ecuador’s national anthem. It isn’t open when we arrive, but Walter talks the people there into letting us have a walk through. After touring the casa, John, Walter, and I walk down to the Ambato River (just behind the casa) while Mom rests at the casa. Now it’s time to continue south to Riobamba, and Mom bids farewell to her beloved Ambato, though we’ll be back again soon.
The Ambato River below Juan Leon Mera's casa
Mom at Juan Leon Mera's casa
South of Ambato we had a few showers, the first rain we’ve seen, but it ended after a few minutes. The vehicle pollution can be a bit much at times, especially when you get behind some sort of big truck belching out black smoke behind it. Thankfully Walter is pretty good about getting around these vehicles, after which we then roll our windows back down a bit. Driving certainly is an adventure in Ecuador and people seem to only vaguely pay attention to solid yellow lines and such, but I haven’t seen much as far as accidents so far, so maybe their more informal driving style works.
Shortly after noon we arrive in Riobamba (birthplace of my Aunt Janet), where we’ll be staying at the Hotel Tren Dorado for the next two nights. The Tren Dorado is well-located, less than a mile from the train station where we’ll be catching the train down the Devil’s Nose early the next morning. It’s also very reasonably priced and an all around good value for our stay in Riobamba. We have a late lunch at the El Delerio Restaurant. Mom says it’s a more traditional Ecuadorian meal, with the main part of the meal consisting of beef in a sauce, rice, potatoes, and a purple dish that looks like purple coleslaw, but isn’t crunchy like cole slaw. Mom was very impressed by the waiter when he threw out some bottled water when the seal was already broken. We are careful to only drink bottled water to try to avoid getting sick from stuff that might be in the regular tap water. We then headed back to the hotel for a rest and Walter went to the train station to get our tickets for the following morning.
After a rest, we went and did a bit of shopping (mostly Mom), including some of the vegetable ivory Riobamba is known for. After that it’s back to the hotel for a light dinner (still full from lunch!) and then we settle in for the night to try to get some rest, as tomorrow will likely be our busiest of the trip as we ride the train until early afternoon and then head south to visit the Incan ruins at Ingapirca before getting back to Riobamba in the evening. My room has some cable channels and I’m able to catch a few highlights of my favorite English soccer team, Arsenal, as they start out their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win away at Dinamo Zagreb! Good to see! As tomorrow will be so busy, I’m not expecting to make an entry tomorrow.
Mom shopping in Riobamba
Walter, Mom, and John in front of the Hotel Tren Dorado in Riobamba
The Ecuadorian countryside
A great view of Cotapaxi
A ways north of Latacunga the clouds closed in and we didn’t see much of the more southern peaks, such as Tungurahua and Chimborazo today (but we’ll have more chances to see the “Mama” and “Papa” volcanoes as they are known). At several points on the drive to Riobamba, we hit elevations of approximately 11,700 feet (according to my trusty GPS unit), with elevations between 8,000 and 10,000 feet more common. This certainly is called the avenue of the volcanoes for a reason, though we haven’t seen any volcanic activity to date during our visit.
In Latacunga we made a stop and Walter arranged for us to try a few local specialties, including Queso de Hoja (cheese in a big green leaf that is similar to string cheese), dulce guayaba (a fig sweet that reminds me of fruit rollups), and dulce de leche (a sweet that is similar to vanilla fudge). Very good mid-morning snacks!
John trying out the cheese
The next major city we reach is Ambato, birthplace of Mom, and she is quite excited to be back after so many years! We’re making good time, so Walter stops in front of the Casa Museo de Juan Leon Mera, home of the famed Ecuadorian musician, writer, and painter, and possibly best known for writing Ecuador’s national anthem. It isn’t open when we arrive, but Walter talks the people there into letting us have a walk through. After touring the casa, John, Walter, and I walk down to the Ambato River (just behind the casa) while Mom rests at the casa. Now it’s time to continue south to Riobamba, and Mom bids farewell to her beloved Ambato, though we’ll be back again soon.
The Ambato River below Juan Leon Mera's casa
Mom at Juan Leon Mera's casa
South of Ambato we had a few showers, the first rain we’ve seen, but it ended after a few minutes. The vehicle pollution can be a bit much at times, especially when you get behind some sort of big truck belching out black smoke behind it. Thankfully Walter is pretty good about getting around these vehicles, after which we then roll our windows back down a bit. Driving certainly is an adventure in Ecuador and people seem to only vaguely pay attention to solid yellow lines and such, but I haven’t seen much as far as accidents so far, so maybe their more informal driving style works.
Shortly after noon we arrive in Riobamba (birthplace of my Aunt Janet), where we’ll be staying at the Hotel Tren Dorado for the next two nights. The Tren Dorado is well-located, less than a mile from the train station where we’ll be catching the train down the Devil’s Nose early the next morning. It’s also very reasonably priced and an all around good value for our stay in Riobamba. We have a late lunch at the El Delerio Restaurant. Mom says it’s a more traditional Ecuadorian meal, with the main part of the meal consisting of beef in a sauce, rice, potatoes, and a purple dish that looks like purple coleslaw, but isn’t crunchy like cole slaw. Mom was very impressed by the waiter when he threw out some bottled water when the seal was already broken. We are careful to only drink bottled water to try to avoid getting sick from stuff that might be in the regular tap water. We then headed back to the hotel for a rest and Walter went to the train station to get our tickets for the following morning.
After a rest, we went and did a bit of shopping (mostly Mom), including some of the vegetable ivory Riobamba is known for. After that it’s back to the hotel for a light dinner (still full from lunch!) and then we settle in for the night to try to get some rest, as tomorrow will likely be our busiest of the trip as we ride the train until early afternoon and then head south to visit the Incan ruins at Ingapirca before getting back to Riobamba in the evening. My room has some cable channels and I’m able to catch a few highlights of my favorite English soccer team, Arsenal, as they start out their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win away at Dinamo Zagreb! Good to see! As tomorrow will be so busy, I’m not expecting to make an entry tomorrow.
Mom shopping in Riobamba
Walter, Mom, and John in front of the Hotel Tren Dorado in Riobamba
posted by Bob at 6:02 PM
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