August 9, 2006 - The Devil´s Nose
We’re up bright and early to get the 5:30 a.m. breakfast at Hotel Tren Dorado, where they offer a breakfast buffet mornings when the train is running. We’re part of a sizable crowd eating breakfast before getting over to the train station well ahead of the 7:00 a.m. departure time. I have granola with yogurt, cheese, a roll with butter, and a banana and I’m set for a good train ride. We get to the train station (half a block from Tren Dorado) at 6:15 a.m. and it’s a good thing we aren’t any later, as there are already a lot of people there. At Mom’s behest we’re sitting inside the train, rather on the roof (by far the more popular option), and we end up with some seats near the front of one of the two cars where you can sit inside the car. The roofs of the rest of the cars, probably 6-8, are packed with people, with a foot high rail standing between them and a fall to the ground below. This train ride is famous for it’s run down the “Devil’s Nose” where it has to switch back several times to descent the face of the cliff known as the Devil’s Nose. John and I definitely seem to be the more excited ones about this trip, though Mom is being game about it. The first part of the train ride is through the Ecuadorian countryside for a few hours to Alausi. A short while past Alausi the dramatic descent down the Devil’s Nose begins. Walter, our taxi driver, finds us at the train station in Riobamba and we plan to meet him at Alausi when our ride finishes.
People boarding the train's roof
The train leaves Riobamba on time at 7:00 a.m. The ride is interesting as you see a good portion of Ecuadorian countryside and a good number of Ecuadorians in traditional dress including a felt black hat and poncho, with the women often wearing bright colors. Also, children run along side the train as it goes by and people riding on the roof throw them candy and other things, which they scramble for.
Ecuadorian countryside
Ecuadorian children scrambling for candy
Trainside view
The ride is a bit bumpy, as the train is rather old. On a good day the train ride offers good views of the volcano Chimborazo, but clouds shroud this volcano today. We have a 20 minute stop in Guamote. John and I buy a couple things from a local vendor and we get a fried banana snack before the train continues on.
The lady in Guamote that we bought a couple of things from
We arrive in Alausi, where further passengers board for the run down the Devil’s Nose. Walter shows up at Alausi and ends up joining us for the trip down and back up the Devil’s Nose. Walter asks me if I’d like to drive the train while going down the Devil’s Nose, but a combination of factors, including Mom’s concern at the possibility, the fact that I don’t speak much Spanish and the engineers don’t speak much English, and my total lack of knowledge about how trains operate, particularly when descending down a cliff face, result in me not taking up Walter’s interesting offer!
The view down the Devil's Nose. Those are railroad tracks down there where we're heading!
Mom is very worried about Ecuadorian children who hang off the sides and back of the car we are riding in and whose parents don’t seem to share Mom’s concern. We are now passing through areas where there are dramatic drop-offs just to the side of the train tracks. Of course Walter is among those who are hanging off the train and such, but Mom says she has confidence that he knows what he’s doing. I have to say some of these drop-offs are the largest I ever recall seeing, and being a bit afraid of heights, I’m glad I have a closed window between me and the sheer cliffs the train passes by. The Devil’s Nose train run is one of the last remnants of a once extensive Ecuadorian railroad network which has been devastated over time by volcanoes, earthquakes, and neglect. We now head down the Devil’s Nose, and I have to say the segment where we are backing down the cliff during one of the switchbacks is a bit unnerving! We reach the bottom, hop out to have a look around, and Walter takes us up for a quick look at the engine car, where he knows the engineer.
People hopping off the top of the train
A view back at the Devil's Nose after our safe descent
John and I getting a good stretch at the bottom of the Devil's Nose
The train used to run down to the coast, but now only runs down to the point we are at, so we now hop back in the train and ride it back up the Devil’s Nose and then back to Alausi. We arrive back in Alausi right on schedule at 1:30 p.m., in part due to the lack of train derailments, a common occurance that we’ve avoided.
Our plan had been to head to the Incan ruins at Ingapirca, a couple hours south from Alausi, but while riding the train with Walter, he informed us that the Pan-American Highway south to Ingapirca was being blocked by protesters, so there was no way we could visit Ingapirca today. Apparently the protesters were complaining about the lack of funding for schools, etc. in the Chimborazo and Tungurahua provinces. I wouldn’t have chosen to block a major transportation artery to pursue further funding as these folks have done, but hey, I’m just an American visiting Ecuador! So we head back to Riobamba, which isn’t all bad, as we’re all a bit tired from the train ride and this will let us get rested up for the Independence Day celebrations tomorrow. A little ways out of Alausi, Walter stops the car, jumps out, and cuts off a few small branches from a nearby tree. It turns out it’s a eucalyptus tree and he brings the branches into the car to freshen the air up a bit. They’re really quite strong if you sniff them closely.
Walter giving Mom a couple plants he cut for her
On the way back to Riobamba we drive through Cajabamba, the former site of Riobamba, where Ecuador’s constitution was signed. Riobamba was moved 20 km from that location after a massive landslide killed thousands of people. Cajabamba is also known for having the oldest church in Ecuador, dating to 1534. We drive by the church , known as La Balbanera, but people are tired so we don’t stop in to see it.
The oldest church in Ecuador
We arrive back in Riobamba in mid-afternoon, rest a bit, have dinner at the Rain Forest Café (in Hotel Tren Dorado) and then call it a night to get rested up for tomorrow.
People boarding the train's roof
The train leaves Riobamba on time at 7:00 a.m. The ride is interesting as you see a good portion of Ecuadorian countryside and a good number of Ecuadorians in traditional dress including a felt black hat and poncho, with the women often wearing bright colors. Also, children run along side the train as it goes by and people riding on the roof throw them candy and other things, which they scramble for.
Ecuadorian countryside
Ecuadorian children scrambling for candy
Trainside view
The ride is a bit bumpy, as the train is rather old. On a good day the train ride offers good views of the volcano Chimborazo, but clouds shroud this volcano today. We have a 20 minute stop in Guamote. John and I buy a couple things from a local vendor and we get a fried banana snack before the train continues on.
The lady in Guamote that we bought a couple of things from
We arrive in Alausi, where further passengers board for the run down the Devil’s Nose. Walter shows up at Alausi and ends up joining us for the trip down and back up the Devil’s Nose. Walter asks me if I’d like to drive the train while going down the Devil’s Nose, but a combination of factors, including Mom’s concern at the possibility, the fact that I don’t speak much Spanish and the engineers don’t speak much English, and my total lack of knowledge about how trains operate, particularly when descending down a cliff face, result in me not taking up Walter’s interesting offer!
The view down the Devil's Nose. Those are railroad tracks down there where we're heading!
Mom is very worried about Ecuadorian children who hang off the sides and back of the car we are riding in and whose parents don’t seem to share Mom’s concern. We are now passing through areas where there are dramatic drop-offs just to the side of the train tracks. Of course Walter is among those who are hanging off the train and such, but Mom says she has confidence that he knows what he’s doing. I have to say some of these drop-offs are the largest I ever recall seeing, and being a bit afraid of heights, I’m glad I have a closed window between me and the sheer cliffs the train passes by. The Devil’s Nose train run is one of the last remnants of a once extensive Ecuadorian railroad network which has been devastated over time by volcanoes, earthquakes, and neglect. We now head down the Devil’s Nose, and I have to say the segment where we are backing down the cliff during one of the switchbacks is a bit unnerving! We reach the bottom, hop out to have a look around, and Walter takes us up for a quick look at the engine car, where he knows the engineer.
People hopping off the top of the train
A view back at the Devil's Nose after our safe descent
John and I getting a good stretch at the bottom of the Devil's Nose
The train used to run down to the coast, but now only runs down to the point we are at, so we now hop back in the train and ride it back up the Devil’s Nose and then back to Alausi. We arrive back in Alausi right on schedule at 1:30 p.m., in part due to the lack of train derailments, a common occurance that we’ve avoided.
Our plan had been to head to the Incan ruins at Ingapirca, a couple hours south from Alausi, but while riding the train with Walter, he informed us that the Pan-American Highway south to Ingapirca was being blocked by protesters, so there was no way we could visit Ingapirca today. Apparently the protesters were complaining about the lack of funding for schools, etc. in the Chimborazo and Tungurahua provinces. I wouldn’t have chosen to block a major transportation artery to pursue further funding as these folks have done, but hey, I’m just an American visiting Ecuador! So we head back to Riobamba, which isn’t all bad, as we’re all a bit tired from the train ride and this will let us get rested up for the Independence Day celebrations tomorrow. A little ways out of Alausi, Walter stops the car, jumps out, and cuts off a few small branches from a nearby tree. It turns out it’s a eucalyptus tree and he brings the branches into the car to freshen the air up a bit. They’re really quite strong if you sniff them closely.
Walter giving Mom a couple plants he cut for her
On the way back to Riobamba we drive through Cajabamba, the former site of Riobamba, where Ecuador’s constitution was signed. Riobamba was moved 20 km from that location after a massive landslide killed thousands of people. Cajabamba is also known for having the oldest church in Ecuador, dating to 1534. We drive by the church , known as La Balbanera, but people are tired so we don’t stop in to see it.
The oldest church in Ecuador
We arrive back in Riobamba in mid-afternoon, rest a bit, have dinner at the Rain Forest Café (in Hotel Tren Dorado) and then call it a night to get rested up for tomorrow.
posted by Bob at 6:13 PM
2 Comments:
Great reporting! Keep up the good work. I note you don't need a friendly this week as you have a cup match...
Devil's Nose was scary! It's hot here and it's fun to see exotic locales and people wearing jackets.
Xena
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