Ecuador - Riobamba to Cuenca to Peru border

Sept 9 Riobamba to Cuenca by Train and Bus

Today is 09/09/09! This is a convent day for everyone, because it’s impossible to write the date wrong regardless of which country you are in.

Vana and I have visited the Devil’s Punchbowl in Oregon, and the Devil’s Post Pile in California. Apparently, the Devil’s Nose is in Ecuador, and that’s what brought us to Riobamba.


When the train from Guayaquil (on the southern coast) to Quito (in the northern highlands) was completed in 1905, it was an engineering marvel. After the El Nino years in the 1990s, only a few sections of track remain open, which are now tourist trains.

Today, we ride the train from Riobamba to Alausi, which includes the famous switchbacks down the Devil’s Nose; named after shape of the mountain, and the many Jamaicans who died building it. I am a little disappointed because the old steam train where you could ride on the roof is broken. Now they make the run with a funky “train” that is more like a cross between a diesel bus and a street car.

Devil's Nose Trains

Anyways, the scenery is amazing. Aside from the Devil’s Noise, the mountains are lined with farmers in traditional dress working the new crops, with cows alongside eating and fertilizing the old crops. Everyone stops to wave and smile. Dogs everywhere run alongside the train barking, perhaps protecting their livestock from this steel monster passing through their land.

Livestock on the range

Hauling a load

Switchback on the Devil's Nose

Devil's Nose from below, next to the river

After the run down and back up the Devil’s Nose, we catch a bus from Alausi to Cuenca. The bus ride is just as impressive, dropping in an out of the clouds so many times, we try to guess the elevation from breathing difficulty. From the 5AM wake-up for the 6AM train, we also catch some zzz.

Dropping out of the clouds

KR bus snoozing

We arrive in Cuenca and check into the Hotel Milan.

CLICK HERE to see more Devil's Nose photos.

Sept 10 Cuenca


We spend today walking around the pleasant city of Cuenca. The city is another Spanish colonial style with churches and plazas. However, it’s a bit more modernized than Quito, with more international shops, cafes, and restaurants.

New Cathedral

San Francisco Cathedral

Chilin' like a highlander

We visit a local shop which shapes and sell Panama hats. Apparently, the Panama hat originates from Ecuador, but is called a Panama hat, because they used to be exported through Panama. Most hats are $10 to $15, but we also check out some “superfinos” which go for a few hundred bucks. They take several months to make, use a finer straw whose tight weave can hold water, and have amazing look and feel.

Home of the Panama hat!

We eat some Mexican food for lunch; our first non-Ecuadorian meal. The beans give me gas; there’s no place like home!

Tacos and Burrito

CLICK HERE to see more Cuenca photos.


Sept 11 Cuenca to Machala by bus

In our original plan, Ecuador was going to be a quick stop on the way to Peru. With the Amazon trip working out perfectly, we really enjoy our 3 weeks here.

• Friendly and helpful people
• Decent food; although chicken and rice gets old, the Locro soup was a highlight
• Amazing variety of landscape; ocean, rivers, mountains, desert, rain forest, jungle
• Really great guides; helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable
• Cheap, safe, and efficient transportation. When does the bus leave? Now!
• Price to fun ratio similar to Thailand, makes it a hit
• Not a Starbuck, McDonalds, or KFC to be found
• US currency makes it tremendously convenient
• Clearly spoken Spanish is great for practice
  

Today, we make a run for the Peru border. We lag a bit and miss the afternoon international bus to Tumbles, in the north of Peru. You can hopscotch the border yourself, but the guide book warns about it being the worst border crossing in South America. We stay at the Hotel Gran Americano in Machala, our least favorite hotel so far. Machala is the land of Big Banana, Inc., surrounded by miles of plantations.

red, yellow, and green bananas