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After much indecision about what to do this particular weekend four of us eventually decided that Riobamba was to be our destination. I met one of other students at our spanish school on the Saturday morning and we took a taxi to the bus station in the old part of Quito. We had all arranged to meet there as we thought it was a good central place because we were all coming from different parts of the city - but that was a big mistake...
In Quito it is not generally considered too safe to be wandering the streets alone, in some areas even in daylight, so taking a taxi to wherever you want to go is the norm. We told our taxi driver where we wanted to get a bus to and asked?him to take us to the bus station where?he dropped us just outside the building. We did think it was a bit strange when he said something about getting a bus from inside the terminal or?waving his arms in the opposite direction and seeming to imply we could also just wait around outside?! But as we?d arranged to meet other people?it seemed sensible to go inside as we?d never find each other in the chaos...
...once inside it was a little dodgy with lots of people wandering around clearly looking for unsuspecting tourists to approach. But we had no problems other than we couldn?t find the other two students. We searched every floor, every entrance, went outside and back in again and eventually after an hour we figured we needed to make a decision - we either went to Riobamba with the just the two of us or we went home. So Riobamba it was; we bought our tickets and settled onto the bus for the?four hour ride. It?s strange how in the western world you become so reliant on mobile phones as normally we could have called each other to find out what was happening but with no mobiles it?s like having your right arm cut off - lesson learnt...need to make better plans next time!
But the bus journey, although long, was very entertaining. Despite this being a long distance bus people can still flag it down anywhere along the road and similarly get off anywhere they want to. There?s really no need for bus stops or bus terminals in this country! However, as well as the passengers, who don?t seem to complain when they have to stand in the aisle for?tthree or?four hours, the bus also regularly attracts random people selling things. From traffic lights to street corners, whenever the bus?s wheels stop rolling you can be certain there?s someone waiting to jump on and make a speech about whatever goods they are trying to convince you to buy - and seriously I?ve never known someone have so much to say about something as simple as a few?sweets!?From memory I can remember people trying to sell wafer biscuits, all sorts of drinks, crisps, fruit, banana cake, newspapers, magazines, sweets, ice cream...you name it someone will sell it to you!
But anyway we eventually arrived in Riobamba and first stop was to find some accommodation, as the other students, who we hadn?t managed to find, had booked a hotel but we didn?t know which one!!! Luckily at the last minute I?d decided to throw my lonely planet guide book into my bag so we at least had that to help us out. We found somewhere really central for the bargain price of $7 a night, which meant we were then free to concentrate on the real reason?for coming to Riobamba -?to ride the tourist train down the Devil?s nose, or Nariz del Diablo. The train only leaves on certain days and?because?there are limited seats you have to buy the tickets the day before. So tickets purchased for the next morning?we?set off to explore Riobamba, museums, churches, bustling plazas and markets.
The next morning it?was an early start as we needed to be at the station by 6.30am to board the train. I was expecting a train with an engine and about?three or?four carriages attached, but what you actually got was more like a bus on tracks! There were three separate buses/carriages each holding about 20 people and all were full to bursting. We set off towards a town called Alausi where the Devil?s nose part begins, but it?s a fair way to get there so en-route we made a short stop at another small village called Guamote at a mere altitude of 3000m+ where I enjoyed a yummy banana empenada for a delayed breakfast! ?The train journey was very scenic, passing through mountains and valleys, with the cloud lifting to reveal a beautiful sunny day. The train was also accompanied by many?dogs who took great delight from chasing the train at every opportunity.
Once on the actual Devil?s nose part of the journey the train stopped a few times for us to jump off and take pictures. One of the main attractions of the train is that you should be able to ride on the roof for a more spectacular view but unfortunately just over a month ago two Japanese tourists died after they fell off the roof while taking pictures so now it?s not allowed and you have to sit inside. Whilst that would have undoubtedly been more fun the view was still amazing and it particularly fun going backwards down certain parts of the zigzag track with little more than a metre between you and a sheer drop down to the bottom of the mountain.
I had wanted to keep my ticket as a souvenir but the driver was insistent that we hand them over. Instead we were offered the opportunity to buy a train drivers hat to take home with us - er, no thanks!
Once back in Alausi we had time for some lunch before getting the bus back to Quito...and who should we bump into in the restuarant but the other students who we had failed to find at the bus station?the day before. Apparently their taxi driver had taken them to some other bus stop after they told him where they wanted to take the bus to, so it turned out we were in separate places! But we did manage to travel home together and they had also been able to ride the train so ultimately everyone enjoyed?a good weekend, even if it wasn?t quite as we?d planned!
The bus journey home was almost as entertaining as the one there, and was packed with people all trying to get back to Quito after the weekend. However, this bus seemed slightly better prepared for the overcrowding as the poeple standing in the aisle were offered plastic stools to sit on...not sure what it is with this country and plastic chairs in vehicles but that?s the second weekend in a row I?ve been in some transport where it was considered highly normal to add in your own seating!
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