La La La La La in Riobamba!

Sunday, Oct 30 - Quito to Riobamba
Getting out of Quito by bus proved to be a piece of cake. The only hitch was when we arrived in the city of Riobamba at 2:30 PM. I was unceremoniously dumped in what felt like some dusty God forsaken roundabout, NOT a bus terminal. I asked a shopkeeper there if I was truly in Riobamba and he nodded so...Okay then. I hailed a taxi into the center of town and managed to get a room for the unbelievable pirce of $7 per night WITH PRIVATE TOILET. Mind you it is pretty much a dump but with no bugs and hot water, so I'm not complaining. Much.

Riobamba, upon initial exploration, seems pretty unremarkable in and of itself, but the nearby Andes mountains make up for its lack of charm.

Monday, Oct 31 - Volcan Chimborazo
Today was wonderfully surprising for I fortutiously showed up at the Expedictiones Julio Verne climbing office just as a pair of dashing Canadian men were preparing to go on a day hike. I was graciously invited to accompany them ($45 per hiker) and off we went! Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

The hike was approximately 9 kilometers long in the area of the inactive volcano Chimborazo (6310m) which happens to be the highest mountain in Ecuador, and we went from 3800m all the way up to my personal highest hiking elevation of 4300m. Woo hoo for me!

I really enjoyed the company of these 2 men, Rod and Ken, both pharmacists, as they were super friendly, laidback and sarcastic. They poked fun at one another continuously like when Ken proved himself unable to correctly play "Rock, Paper, Scissors". Who doesn't know how to play this game?!? Raise your hand!! Exactly. I offered to teach him the intricate rules of the game, cough cough, but was diplomatically turned down.

The area in which we hiked was quite beautiful but slightly challenging due to the altitude. Going uphill I could definitely feel myself struggling a bit to get the oxygen my lungs craved, I do believe I handled the altitude well though as I always managed to keep up with our guide and didn't suffer from a headache (symptom of altitude sickness). Towards the end of the hike we encountered a pack of guanacos, which are related to llamas and alpacas, but their wool is considered to be of the finest quality of the three.

We all agreed to meet up for drinks and dinner (in that order) later on at 7:00 at the Il Incontro Italian Restaurant. I duly showed up at 7:05 but no Rod and Ken. Hmmm....At 7:15 I asked the restaurant hostess if she could call their guesthouse to find out if they'd left yet. She did so and I was informed that only one man would be joining me and he should be arriving in about 5-10 minutes. Okay dokey. I could only surmise at that moment that Rod would not be coming as he had been bitten by a dog the day before and there had been concern during the hike over whether any of the stitches had come out.

But no!!! Here comes Rod!!! Without Ken (or Barbie)!! Rod walked in at 7:25 and told me he had no idea where Ken could be. The plot thickens! And he said that he believed Ken had mistakenly gone to a certain pizzeria which shall remain nameless so we hightailed it there only to find....NO KEN!! Where in the world is Waldo, scratch that, Ken?!? Rod made a few more phone calls with the lady at his guesthouse who finally managed to locate Ken at yet another pizzeria. Eventually he did show up and then we all had a lovely dinner together - once we'd gotten past ribbing each other about who exactly had screwed up the specifics of our meeting place (Ummm...Not me!!). I was elated to have not been stood up by not one, but two gentlemen as I have a reputation to protect. Snort.

Tuesday, Nov 1 - Aluasi/Sibambe Train Journey
On the following day I took a two-hour bus ride to the picturesque town of Aluasi in order to take the spectacular train journey down treachurous switchbacks to Sibambe. The ride now costs $20 (not $11 as Lonely Planet erroneously reported) and unfortunately, due to an Asian female tourist being decapitated in 2007 while riding on the roof by a low-lying telegraph wire, all passengers are required to ride on the inside of the train. It truly is a remarkable journey, albeit slightly pricey, but I still give it a thumbs up.

Wednesday, Nov 2 - Baños
What a fantabulous day to be alive in Ecuador!! I went on a day trip to the stunning spa town of Baños. It lies nestled between lush green peaks with an incredible array of waterfalls. It took 2 hours to get there by bus from Riobamba but I finally arrived at the Baños bus terminal at 10:15.

Once I'd picked up a free map from the tourist office, I set off on a 2.5 hour hike up the mountain situated behind the town. It was a little tough initially going uphill but I managed. There's a lovely cafe near the top where I stopped and had a beer before trudging onward. I encountered a few local farmers while walking as well as a few dogs, gulp (Ugly flashback to Transylvania this past June and being attacked by a pack of aggressive sheep-herding dogs!!). I decided to disarm the dogs with my generosity and fed them bits of cheesy bread. I was rewarded with numerous licks and no growling. Thank God.

After the hike, I had lunch at Cafe Good which was...wait for it...GOOD thanks to its numerous vegetarian options. I still had another hour to kill before my return journey to Riobamba so I took a stroll through town, taking a peek at the basilica and ending up at the massive bridge which crosses the mighty Rio Pastaza. There was a much smaller rickedy pedestrian bridge below the bigger bridge which my tourist map indicated coud be reached by a trail so I headed on down along with an exuberant Ecuadorean family who had the same idea as me. I bonded with them by advising the inappropriately dressed ladies how to hike down the steep path more safely in their high heels and sandals (your feet should be pointed slightly sideways when walking down rather than straight so as to avoid slipping) and when we all reached the untrustworthy, dilapidated bridge, I dramatically joked about crossing it with much peril. They egged me on to cross so I went with them, praying to Jesus, Mary and Joseph loudly all the while! Truly, that bridge looked like an accident destined to happen and I have pictures to prove my point.

Thus ended my delightful day in Baños...