Nice change

after our little fiasco at the border, we spent a couple of days in cuenca, which is the third largest city in ecuador. we spent a lot of time walking around the city, admiring the central plaza, the impressive ¨new¨ caththedral (it dates from the mid-19th century), and being happy to be in a new country. there were a lot of museums in town, but after all the tours, ruins, and museums we saw in peru, we decided to just hit a small factory that makes panama hats. we got a quick tour of the place and talked to a hatmaker while he put a hat in progress into a hydraulic hot press. i bought a hat, foolishly thinking that i could get it back to the states in tact. i don´t think it´ll survive too many bustrips, though, and i don´t have the patience to gingerly carry it along with all our other gear. so i´m on the lookout for someone who needs a panama hat.

bobs hat

other than a couple of good meals and some rest, we didn´t have much of an agenda in cuenca. so we headed off to the bus station to catch a ride to alausí, where we planned to ride (on the roof of) the train that starts in riobamba and passes through alausí on its way down el nariz del diablo (the nose of the devil) switchbacks. at the station, we met a couple of backpackers headed in the same direction and got to talking with them a bit. as we were waiting to load our stuff onto the bus, we found out that they had been travelling together for the past 3 years, and had been travelling individually for even longer. we were instantly interested in hearing some of their stories and tips. as it turned out, 90% of their tips related to us downsizing the amount of crap we´re carrying. onwards, to alausí and the el nariz del diablo.

making hats

Housing

we stayed at Hostal El Monarca on borrero 5-47 (tel#2836462, hostalmonarca@hotmail.com). the place has large rooms with shared bath, colorful corridors with lots of artwork on the walls, and a sweet family at the helm. It`s U$S5 and a has good breakfast available downstairs for $1.50.

Travel supplies

also, we got custom pack covers made in a couple of hours for U$S10 a piece at a camping store called Explorador Andino on Borrero 7-52 tel# 2847 320. the covers came out a little large for our bags and are prone to ripping, but are certainly better than nothing when your pack is on top of a bus. great little shop that sells a lot of stuff and also makes about anything you might need.

the panama hats