well, a long morning in search of the ferrocarril. i woke up at 5:30 am and walked tot he train station. there, i learned that the ferrocarril from riobamba to alausi was sold out. so, i hopped on a bus to alausi (2hrs, $1.59). once there, i got in line for the rountrip train to the devils nose. it looked like i was going to get a ticket….until we discovered that many people in front of us were tour guides. the first 4 people in line purchased amost 35 tickets (the train only holds 48 ppassengers). naturally, people were very upset…and some people even left the ine….while other tour guides cut in line and screwed us over even more. two thing: one, most of us in line would have rather paid more to a tour guide had we known that option was available; two, it’s b.s. that the guides can buy so many tickets.

anyway, they added more train times (1pm, 3pm and 4:30pm). i got a ticket for the 3pm train. however, after a quick breakfast, i decided to get see if there were any no-shows for the 11am train. luckily, almost half the train was missing! so, i got onto the 11am train…and even had a spare seat next to me!

now, about the train. it actually looks more like a diesel bus that’s been put on tracks. very strange. you also can’t sit on top of this one (like you used to be able to do…and maybe can do with others?). so the bus drives down the track about 10 miles or so, through a cool valley. the tracks are on a steep hill. so steep, in fact, that the tracks do switchbacks along the mountain: but in such a way that the train goes forward….then reverse…then forward again. there’s not enough room to make a proper curve, so the train goes forward, then an attendant swithes the tracks, and it continues going down….but in reverse.

the train is cool…but iike an israeli that i met…it was more about the ridiculous experience to get onto the train than the ride itself. i then hopped on a bus to guayaquil. i met up with naldo’s friends: willem and caroline. they have a really nice apartment just outsidde the city. they gave me some awesome suggestions of stuff to do…and i think i’m set for the next few days!

pics:
1) alausi
2) the ‘bus driver’ insisted that it had always been a train
3) transporting sheep on a bus