Hotel el Libertador Riobamba

Sinds zaterdag zijn we in het stadje Riobamba beland. We gingen de Devil`s Nose Trainride doen, maar deze was spijtig genoeg volgeboekt en dus gaan we even relaxen. Op maandag gaan we naar Baños om te gaan raften en hiken. Nadien keren we terug naar Riobamba om de treinrit op vrijdag te doen. Daarna gaan we voor een paar dagen naar Cuenca, meer naar het zuiden toe. Dit zullen onze laatste echte stapjes in Ecuador zijn, dan gaan we Peru verkennen.<br><br ...

... please dont jump on bridge) and then go caving under the waterfall to emerge right next to it! Awesome! After continuing down the valley, we realise 25km is enough for a holiday jaunt, and swiftly thumb a lift back to town.<br><br>Rafting. Though Phil and Alex (male) want to conquer grade 5 rapids at their first outing, they have to limit themselves due to the fears of the girls. Ahem. We all dress in sexy gear (see photo), and our safety talk is ...

So the journey montanita-baños...12hours, one cab journey, three buses, 3 jackie chan films and four very smelly people. We have the most amazing journey into the mountains. With the last bus journey resting in us having more air time than the bow sit of a surf boat! We took a casual little path past the highest mountain in Ecador which happens to be closest to the sun. Phil was very curtious in explaining why this is, which I was slightly insulted by having worked it ...

... ride is mostly downhill, there are enough uphill slopes just to remind you your legs are there, but nothing too serious. The problem for me was that there was a lot of road riding and one scary tunnel. I hate road riding even at home, its too much for me to worry about cars, people, potholes - everything all at once. Multiply this by 10 in Ecuador and you have my fear factor. The cars did seem to give a good distance from the bike, but they race ...

... the effort, but even now is pretty incredible. I love trains and train journeys in general, so I was quite eager to have a go at this...<br><br>You actually used to be able to ride on the roof, you could rent cushions and just watch the scenery go by for a few hours and then see the spectacular drop off from the heights of the roof... Unfortunately a couple of tourists died last year - I had read decapitated, but now that I´ve done the ...

... aber da wir das andere Boot noch nicht gefunden hatten sind wir noch ein Stückchen weiter, war aber nur ein Schwierigkeit IIV+ also eher eine nette Flussfahrt um die Umgebung anzuschauen, kein erhöhter Adrenalinspiegel mehr. Irgendwann hat unser Guide das Boot dann aufgegeben und wir sind an Land, wo auch schon der Rest der Gruppe mit dem vermissten Boot wartete, der Kajakguide hatte es gerettet und an Land gebracht. <br>Alles in allem viel ...

... and beautiful scenery. However, about ten minutes after arriving in town I discovered that the train was being repaired and wouldn't be running for another five days. So, confused and not wanting to spend any time in the rather boring town of Riobamba, I just jumped on the next bus back to.... yes, Quito.<br><br>And Quito is where I have been for about five days now doing absolutely nothing. Well, that's a small lie. I've booked myself onto a Galapagos tour! I leave tomorrow to ...

Nach meinem Abenteuer unterhalb des Vulkanes bei Otavalo bin ich dann<br>am naechsten Tag wieder mit meinem Rucksack losgezogen und zum<br>Busbahnhof. <br>Die erste laengere Bustour - das merkt man schon<br>danach. Erst musste ich wieder die 2.5 Stunden nach Quito zurueck<br>fahren, dort umsteigen und dann 4 Stunden immer nach Sueden, nach<br>Riobamba.<br><br>Es geht auf der 'Strasse der Vulkane' entlang, rechts<br>und links staendig flankiert von ...