Taking the Last Train to Boston, rather to the Devil's Nose

We had the wonderful opportunity to join for the opening of the refurbished tourist train going from Riobamba, near imposing Chimborazo Mountain, to a well-known tourist spot called the Devil's Nose. Ecuador has long had railroad tracks, but they have been unused for decades. The government has refurbished them (or is in the process stretch by stretch) to open them for tourists.


We left Riobamba with beautiful Chimborazo looking over us.

We passed through gorgeous Ecuadorian countryside. (That's Chimborazo hovering behind the rolling hills.)


We stopped in Guamote, a small indigenous town known for its large market on Thursdays. We arrived in the midst of the affair, and once the conductor was able to untie several cows from the railroad track, we entered the town and marveled at the sites.

We proceeded to Devil's Nose, which is a steep drop where the trainlines from the cosat and the southern cities meet. Legend has it that many said that they could not be connected in this trecherous area, that it was the work of the devil that procluded their connection. One wise engineer discovered that the unconquerable mountain could be conquered if the train zigzagged down the mountain - forward and backward!! Very scary, but lots of fun too.

A wonderful group received us warmly, dancing a traditional dance and serving us a delicious meal. OK - it included guinea pig which I ate for the first time. Oy!