Nariz del Diablo 2

The view was quite incomparable from their windows, and the photographers among them were unable to hide their delight at the multitudinous opportunities to capture the sights.

There were portions of the track from which the girls could view their next destination. At some points, they were quite at a loss to know exactly how they were to be conveyed to the little tiny spot of track which they could scarcely see from their current location.

As one may conclude from these photos, the one thing necessary would have been a good soundtrack...and any passenger from that viaje (trip) could tell you that there was a soundtrack, although perhaps it was more felt than heard. The rugged mountains, sweeping valleys, crisp air, brilliant sunlight, and eternally blue skies constantly bore testimony to the One Who designed and created them.

After a brief bus ride, then a reconnection with their train, the travelers viewed and explored the town of Alausi. They climbed up one of the hills to view a statue, and were rewarded with an excellent view of the town and surrounding area.

One of the young women enjoyed a lunch of pescado y papas fritas (fish and french fries), and one of the young women shuddered at the sight of a fish with an intact head lying upon a plate. A few of the girls purchased papas fritas from a street vendor, and another experimented with beverages and discovered that she did not enjoy nectarine juice.

The group of girls were in search of ice cream, but eventually concluded that the best ice cream was back home in Riobamba.

The most intricate portion of the trip involved a slow descent into a valley between two large mountain peaks. When the train reached the bottom, the contingent of passengers unloaded and looked with awe at the sight around them. Green mountainsides rose all around them, and they were able to view the "Nariz del Diablo." The tour guide informed them that the mountain received its name from a tragic incident some years ago, when several thousand Jamaican workers were killed in a dynamite accident while constructing the track.

They enjoyed a brief stop at the train station down inside the valley, and several of them obtained a cafecita (little cup of coffee) for $0.50.

After the train ride the young ladies did a little more exploring in Alausi, then headed back to Riobamba. They believe that they boarded the last bus of the day, and the consequence of this action was the fact that they stood for the entire 1.5 hour trip. This afforded them a different than usual view of the passing countryside, as well as the other 55 passengers.

When they returned to Riobamba, the group of North American descent headed for their favorite ice cream shop. They walked down the crowded streets and realized that most of Riobamba considers Sunday afternoon to be the prime time to get ice cream! After canvassing 14 city blocks, they finally arrived at their destination...to find a neat little metal gate pulled over the doorway. The esteemed ice cream shop was closed. So, off they went again, merry spirits intact, to find another ice cream shop. Eventually it worked and they enjoyed some of the icy dessert they so craved!

They returned to their abode that evening quite tired, but grateful for the adventures of the day!