We have now moved away from the rarified hieghts of the Valley of the Volcanoes down to sea level at Guayaquil and what a diiference it is. First of all it is easy to breath and you dont get out of breath walking up the street, and second it is a lot warmer.
During our trip to Riobamba we intended to go on the famous "Devils Nose" train but after making enquiries we found that after an accident that killed two Japanese passengers a short while ago iot is now forbidden to ride on the carriage roof and that was what we wanted. The journey inside would be cramped and not good for photographs so we decided not to do it. Instead on the first day we went to Banos in the hope of seeing Volcan Tungurahua. This volcano is quite active at the moment and we hoped to see it. The journey to Banos is via the long route as the direct road is blocked by landslides and lava. The bus route still took us over a large landslide and lots of evidence of lava clearance. Sadly the weather as cloudy and even rained when we walked in the mountains hoping to catch a glimpse of the top. We didnt until the journey home when as the bus climbed another valley the clouds parted and the top with it's smoke plume was visible. It looked spectacular but the only pictures that we could get was throught the bus windows.
The second day in Riobamba we decided to go mountain biking, this time with a difference. We were taken to 4800 metres up Mount Chimborazo in a land rover with the bikes in the back. Before we started we decided to walk to the highest mountain refuge the climbers use at some 5000 metres (16400 feet). It was cold, snowing a little and very cloudy. It was also very very difficult to breath easily at that height and altitude sickness could have been a big problem. After walking down we picked up the bikes and cycled down on tracks mainly plus a few roads. It was a very exhillerating experience getting warmer as you dropped down and getting a lot easier to breath. We finished as it got dark. A really great day.
The journey today was again by bus over high Andean passes and through spectacular scenery. The valleys on this side of the Andes and green and lush and as we got lower a lot of Banana plantations. The wildlife also got a lot more with many more birds about.
Tomorrow we hope to find a place to stay on the coast in Puerto Lopez and stay for a few day in the hope we can get out whale watching, with any luck we shall see some Humpback Whales as they are supposed to be around the coast at that point.
Our next journy will be back to Quito by air on the 16th then the next day to the jungle and the River Amazon basin
Hopefully more to follow as we go
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