Back to the Beginning

Day 145

I am back in Ecuador, back in Las Tunas, with my friends, on the coast. It still rains a lot, but there's sunshine in the late afternoon, and it's WARM! Anyway, I'm going to be here to celebrate Carnaval, which begins on the 1st, and promises to be a great party.

Going back to... last Wednesday. Back in Lima, still don't like the city. Good hostel though, talked with a lot people, including a Taiwanese woman, first of her nationality for this trip, and a family of Argentines, who were quite fond of Lima and said that Central Lima, to the north of the city, had some nice spots. Memo: Come back to Lima some day and find something good about it. Got a bus out to Guayaquil, what would turn out to be a whopping 30 hour bus ride. This was, however, my first cama-class bus for this trip, meaning that the seats go way back so you can sleep comfortably, and they give you good food to eat. Bus rides, after the dozens I've taken, are good times to contemplate reality, philosophy, and other things that can truly be appreciated as miles of highway whiz by your window. Hmmmm... it's good to be back where I started, the full circle metaphor is all over it. Fellow passengers on this bus ride included a family of Australians, who were living in Lima, a pair of French hippies, and a family of Californians who were travelling the world by boat with their 4 year old girl, but had docked in Lima and were going to visit the Galapagos Islands (you can't bring private boats to the islands without a license) who drank beer up near the front of the bus for most of the trip. I woke up the next morning, still on the bus, feeling the icky, sticky feeling that heralded my return to the coastal area of Ecuador. I had issues at the border, I needed to get a photocopy of my entrance stamp from my first time in the country, no clear why, as they gave me another 90 days in the country, even though I asked for only 60. Got into Guayaquil at around 11 at night, had to take a cab into the centre of town, I met my first honest taxista, he opened with $3, the standard rate. Found a hostel right in the middle of town, good, except for the several flights of stairs to reach my room. Next morning, I found that rain is now constant in Guayaquil, and that the stall just off the central square, make the best fruit shakes. Cab back out to the terminal, this time, a bus to Riobamba, in central Ecuador. The new terminal is now open, so for all of you that remember the old one, the new one is larger, across the street, and it more like a large mall than a bus terminal. The ride up to Riobamba is beautiful, passing through forests, small towns, and banana plantations. Arriving in Riobamba, I spot the hotel of my choice, called the Hotel Canada. It's not clear why it is called this, but it had me sold, and it was in good shape. One thing else about Riobamba, is the clear presence of an erupting volcano a few hundred km away. Tunghuragua (sp.) has been smoking since August 06, and it puts a lot of ash into the air, as I found out, and was a factor into my early departure from there, some people in the town wear masks over they're faces to keep the ash out. But, it was all good, for the time I was there. That evening there was a street party in progress ·"Riobamba sin alcohol", which appeared to be the city's attempt at getting youth to have good clean fun. Lots of musicians and such. Next day, went out exploring the city, but had to stop early, as the sickness in my digestive tract was getting a little out of hand. I'm fine now. The fruit juices that they sell in the market are made using ice from the glacier on nearby Volcan Chimborazo (extinct), and taste delcious. That evening, I bought a train ticket on the tourist train for the next morning. Got up early the next morning and went down. The train is in great condition, but the ride, as I found out, was a little disappointing. The highlight is it's journey down the "Nariz del Diablo", the Devil's Nose, which is this steep mountain face that the train gets down by going back and forth into sidings, it wasn't nearly as steep as the name would make you imagine, the train did derail however, and they spent an hour getting it back on the tracks. Most disappointingly though, it is advertised that you can ride on the roof of the train, which they didn't allow, for reasons unclear, but since the early days of the train, they've puts safety rails and yellow plastic chairs on the top of the train, so it seems I didn't miss anything. Got back, disillusioned, but you have to take a bus for a large part of the trip back, much more interesting, with a Japanese kid that thought I'd stolen his seat; he didn't understand that Ecuadorians fill their buses beyond seating capacity. Got back in one piece though. I left Riobamba the next day, and, not wanting to go north to Ambato, equidistant with the volcano, I backtracked to Guayaquil and took a bus to Jipijapa, on the coast. Arrived late at night, in the pouring rain, and found one of the best hotels I've ever been in, with clean tile flooring and a shower with proper hot water. Yesterday morning, still raining, and took a bus to Puerto Lopez, and onto Las Tunas. Arrived in the late afternoon, and there was Antonio, leaving his friend's house. Once again, I'm living in Las Tunas, this time, however, it's much warmer and quite a bit drier than last time. Much better. Today was... interesting. Edison (the senior), had asked if I thought Ecuadorian women were pretty. I'd said yes, being the standard answer when someone asks you, but this was somehow construed incorrectly. He was giving me a lift to here to use the internet, but he decided to detour... to a brothel. I wasn't expecting this, and he said something about a beer, the sign at the front said night club, and it was on the edge of town, it began to sink in when I saw the young women sitting around in bikinis, and was clarified when Edison told me they only cost $5. Okay. I burst out laughing when I realized where I was, and we left after doing my best to explain to Edison that I wasn't one to patronize an establishment like this one. I was laughing most of the way out, the misinterpretation was too much for me. He dropped me off here, and I'm leaving for the graduation ceremony at Antonio's school.