October 16-17, 2007
Days 748-749

I simply couldn't skip visiting some of the numerous hot springs in a town called Baños. The best ones were located right under the waterfall at the edge of town. The area was split into boiling, warm, and freezing pools of water coming directly from the… Read More »

October 15, 2007
Day 747

I took a walk toward the Tungurahua volcano today. Luckily I remembered my sunglasses because the eruption was especially bad and the air was full of a thick cloud of ash. The trails first took me to a lookout point above the city, then to a… Read More »

October 14, 2007
Day 746

Some people from my hostel organized an interesting trip into the local Quichua community today. We took a bus up to a small town of indigenous people and were introduced to one of the locals. At first I saw him in his poncho that covered his western clothing and… Read More »

October 13, 2007
Day 745

I left Riobamba this morning and took a bus to Baños, a beautiful city located in a valley between the Andes and the Amazon. Near the equator and at only 1800 meters altitude, it was a hot, sunny place with tropical vegetation covering the surrounding hills. Baños was a… Read More »

October 12, 2007
Day 744

The advantage of getting to Riobamba two days before the train to the devil's nose left was that I got a ticket in the luxury car at no extra charge because of their first-come-first-serve system. I relaxed in my first class seat and met some of… Read More »

October 10-11, 2007
Days 742-743

I took a bus north from Cuenca to Riobamba with the specific intention of buying a ticket for the train to the Nariz del Diablo ("Devil's Nose"), but unfortunately found out that there wouldn't be a train for another day. I say "unfortunately" because it took about half an… Read More »

October 8-9, 2007
Days 740-741

I just had a short walk back to the road this morning, then a bus back to Cuenca. Roy wanted me to take some photos of the city for him, but it was raining all day. The next day was raining too, but… Read More »

October 7, 2007
Day 739

I just went for a short walk around the lagoon where I was camped this morning, but I was already feeling the effects of the altitude because I wasn't acclimatized properly. I spoke to the ranger and asked for a walk of around five hours so I wouldn't have… Read More »

October 6, 2007
Day 738

I wanted to go to Cajas National Park today, but I was really low on energy for some reason. Maybe it was my recent atrophy, but for some reason, I just didn't seem to have it in me to leave. Somehow, not making changes in life is always easier… Read More »

October 1-5, 2007
Days 733-737

I stayed at a hostel in Cuenca for a couple days and hung out with the other backpackers there. The most interesting one was a guy from Milwaukee who had been traveling for the last four years. He joined the Peace Corps after college and got placed in Vanuatu.… Read More »