Baños de Agua Santa

After our bumpy drive down from the refugio on Chimborazo, we tried some local Ecuadorian-style ice cream and said goodbye to Anh Vu and David in Riobamba. Our driver for the day picked us up and drove us for several hours over the developing mountain-roads to Banos de Agua Santa. We chose to stay at a luxury resort high in the mountains above this quaint, adventure-oriented town. There were plenty of fun activities in Banos...hiking, zip-lining, excursions to local volcanoes, bird-watching, hot springs. We ended up choosing none of those things and instead remained inside the resort the entire time. We were so exhausted from the Chimborazo climb that we decided to eat, sleep and just relax. Thu got a well-earned massage at the spa. The views were incredible from our balcony, and we were content to stay in and watch the sunset as our only means of entertainment. Aside from our rowdy Russian neighbors, we had a peaceful, relaxing short stay in Banos.

Alausí, Chimborazo Province

While we were enjoying a well-earned night of sleep, our two guides Flavio and Jorge were driving from Cuenca to pick us up. On the way they had to stop and clear the road of a small landslide, but still arrived in time to pick us up early in the morning. We drove through the mind-blowing scenery of rural Ecuador. We passed beneath Tungurahua, a notoriously active volcano, and had a rare clear view of Chimborazo’s summit looming above the clouds. It was a beautiful drive, despite the car-sickness inducing mountain curves.

We arrived at a charming little town called Alausí where we were scheduled for a train ride on the famous Nariz del Diablo, or Nose of the Devil. This section of the Trans-Andean railroad was an engineering complication because of the dangerously steep incline. In order to navigate this stretch of mountains, the track zigzags up the face of La Nariz, climbing more than 500 meters in around 12 kilometers. We boarded the train with all the other tourists and our journey began. We were surrounded by a large group that shifted their position from side-to-side based on the view, which meant when the view was on our side, the entire group was almost sitting in our laps. It was funny to watch...their enthusiasm for the experience outweighed their respect of personal space. Normally this would be a little bothersome, but they were enjoying the ride so much and they were having so much fun that we just had to go along with it and let them enjoy the ride without complaining.

There were two stops on our train ride. First we left the train at a tiny station offering the perfect view of the mountain known as El Nariz del Diablo. It was hard to believe the train just came down that enormous mountainside! We wandered around for a short time admiring the views. Then, as the horn whistled, everyone jumped back into the crowded train car and began the second part of the journey

Stop number two brought us to the bottom of the valley where all the passengers disembarked at a slightly less-tiny station. Our group was welcomed by the music and dancing of the local indigenous people, the Puruhá. We separated from the crowd and explored the small area, walking through a living museum focused on the history of the Puruhá and their struggles with living in such a difficult environment. A local woman was selling some traditional, fresh out of the oven bread which made for a great snack. We then ate a quick lunch at the station before boarding the train to be taken back up to Alausí.

The views were much better on our side of the train going back up the mountain, and the group in our train car was too tired to move over and get in the way of the view. It was an impressive sight looking down and seeing how the tracks worked their way up the insanely steep mountainside. We generally avoid this sort of tourist-trap when traveling, but it was nice to sit back and just watch the scenery go by instead of hiking our way through it.

Ingapirca Ruins, Cañar Province

A couple more hours of driving through the beautiful yet surprisingly populated countryside brought us to the Ingapirca Ruins. These are the largest known Incan ruins in Ecuador. The site features a complex underground aquaduct system and several remaining structures built the Incan way, that is, without mortar and with blocks chiseled and fashioned to fit perfectly together. The most significant building is the Temple of the Sun. The temple is positioned so that on the solstices, at exactly the right time of day, sunlight falls through the center of the doorway at the top of the temple. Aside from the noisy dirtbike track built next door, this was a beautiful, tranquil spot far away from the crowds.

We walked around the ruins with our guide Flavio while Jorge rested in the SUV. He was recovering from the long hours of driving and preparing for the long road ahead. Flavio was an enormous wealth of knowledge. He guided us through the history, architecture, and culture of Ingapirca as if he were a local hired guide to the ruins. Then, when a bird appeared, he started talking like a birder. Later we would discover his passion for plantlife, running, and an assortment of other areas of expertise.