After a couple of hours we drove into Cotopaxi National Park. The Cotopaxi Volcano is the highest active volcano in the world and one of the best shaped conical volcanoes (along with Mt. Fuji in Japan) Unfortunately when we went into the park it was covered by the clouds. However we did get an excellent view of another volcano across the plain from Cotopaxi. There were wild horses grazing in the open and we even spotted an Andean condor (one of the 75 left in the wild in Ecuador).
For lunch we stopped at an old Hacienda that was built in the early 1600's. It had nice music and we were able to get a good view of Cotopaxi which was just clearing up.
We then spent the night in the town of Riobamba. The next morning we woke up early and headed to the train station. We boarded a train car that was actually a bus adapted to the rails. Our journey was one of the most famous and beautiful train rides in South America. Some of us were able to sit on top of the train and get a wonderful view.
We pulled away from Riobamba and saw stunning morning views of the steep rolling hills and lush valleys of the area. The awesome vista of Mt. Chimborazo towered high in the background. Being over 20,000 feet and so near the Equator, the peak of Chimborazo is the closest point on the Earth to the Sun.
As we continued along we passed several micro-climates where in one valley it would be lush and green with bountiful fields and fat cows, while in the next valley it would be dry with bare sand visible amidst the more hearty plant life.
We arrived in a beautiful small town for a quick stop before descending down the "Devil's Nostril" one of the most daring railroad engineering marvels in the world.
Although it was hard to get a good picture to capture the narrow switchbacked journey to the bottom of the valley, it was still a fascinating and sometimes Disnleyland-like ride.
At the bottom of the valley we had a chance to get off the train for a moment and enjoy the view before boarding again and going back up.
You can see behind me how the trail cuts into the steep rock of the mountain.
After arriving safely back in the town we boarded our bus and went to the top of a mountain pass and had a box-lunch amidst the clouds.
We then drove south for an hour or so to the ruins of Ingapirca. Ingapirca is the largest archeological site in Ecuador and the ruins are not only from the Incas but also from civilizations that lived in the area long before the Incas.
and there were llamas....
Some of us waited while others did some shopping.
That night we drove to the city of Cuenca. The first thing we did was visit a girl's orphanage where we dropped off some supplies and donations that came from the US.
At the orphanage we had a brief tour and they had each little girl choose one of us to be a "Buddy". Then we drew some pictures for each other.
Cuenca was a beautiful city with very interesting, European architecture.
After a city tour, lunch and some free time we went up for a great view of the city.
And then we went to the Panama Hat factory. The Panama Hat is actually an Ecuadorian production that became popular with workers on the Panama Canal (hence the misnomer) The hats are made here and then exported all over the world.
That night we flew from Cuenca back to Quito. The next day we headed north. One of Ecuador's chief exports is roses. We were able to stop and tour a rose plantation.
They package the roses and send them all over the world.
The dog Jack was very friendly and even wanted to come with us on the bus.
We then went to the town of Otavalo that had the largest indigenous market in South America. After doing some shopping we headed back to Quito stopping on the way for lunch at beautiful lake-side restaurant.
We got into Quito in time to eat and pack and then woke up at 4AM on Saturday to get to the airport on time. After a lot of waiting in the Quito and Houston airports and two long flights I finally arrived in Salt Lake.So now I'm back in Utah my five and a half month experience in South America is over. I've had a wonderful time and it's been worth every penny, centimo, headache, stomachache and minute.
So if you want to get a hold of me, there's always email (waytogonate@gmail.com). Or you can give me a call. I don't have a cell phone anymore so my parents' number (where I'm staying) is (801) 968-0382.
What's Next Nate!????
....you'll just have to wait and find out....
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