Rio Bamba and Cuenca

This past friday was a national holiday in Ecuador. I don't know which holiday or why we had it off, but we did. And since I don't have class on Thursdays and my class on Friday was canceled, I had a long weekend. So a couple of friends and I decided to travel to the towns of Rio Bamba and Cuenca this weekend.
We hopped on a bus in Quito on Thursday morning, and 4 hours later, we arrived in the town of Rio Bamba. Rio Bamba isn't really that special. Although it's a substantial town of about 50,000 people, there isn't really that much to do.


A really cool mountain from the streets of Rio Bamba. We got to see it more up close and personal on our train ride.


Except the train. Which is like the only reason to go to Rio Bamba. Back in the late 1800's, then president Eloy Alfaro built a giant train system from Quito down to Guayaquil, about 1,500 miles worth of track. Part of the route went through the "Nariz del Diablo," or "Devils Nose." The Devils Nose is a giant mountain range that separated the two cities. The Catholic Church said it was impossible to build through yet with the help of an American construction company, the route was completed. Sadly, the route has fallen into disrepair and no longer runs. But the small part on the "Devils Nose" still works, taking thousands of tourists through its treacherous tracks every year. And you can ride on the roof!! So We boarded the roof of the train at 7am sharp on Friday morning in Rio Bamba. For the next 5 hours, we drove through breathtaking countryside, viewing locals working on their farms and cruising through small towns. We would wave to people as we would pass, and vendors would come and sell us goods from the side of the road. It was really cool being on the roof as we we interacted with locals.



A cool cemetary from the roof of our train
Another view from the train


The roof of the train at a pitstop in the small town of Alausi. The reddish things are cushions that we sat on.

Small children. Picture taken from the roof of our passing train.

Finally, we reached the infamous "Devils Nose." And boy, is it massive. In order to descend the mountain side, the train literally goes on switchbacks. The train descends, then flattens out. Once the whole train is flat on the side of the mountain, the conductor switches the track and train goes down the second switchback until it reaches the bottom.

Right before the Devil's Nose
A crazy drop off on the Devils Nose as seen from the edge of our train.One of the switchbacks on the Devils Nose. The train was on the track seen in the background. But the train flattened out and switched tracks to the track in the foreground

The Nariz del Diablo.

Me with the Nariz del Diablo behind me

Finally, we reached the small town of Alausi. There is where we got off the train. We boarded a bus bound for Cuenca, another 4 hours south.
This was a really really tiring bus ride. I got up at 630 that morning to sit on a train roof for like 5 hours, only to board another bus for 4 more hours. Finally, we arrived in Cuenca at around 8pm on Friday night.

Our $12 dollar a night hotel room in Cuenca. (I shared it with my buddy, and it worked out to $6 dollars a night)

We chose to go to Cuenca because it is famous for it's colonial architecture and clean, friendly atmosphere. Being 9 hours south of Quito, I wanted to make sure that it was a destination worth going to. Wow. It was amazing. that night, we turned in early so we could explore the next day.
Saturday morning we woke up at 830 and started exploring. I was immediately taken aback by the sheer beauty of the colonial Spanish buildings. I never thought that imperialism and mass genocide could be so beautiful!!




One of the many beautiful churches in Cuenca.
Another church in Cuenca

A cool doorway

A river scene in Cuenca

Antiquity and Modernity

We went to a museum of contemporary art and viewed some cool stuff. What was more impressive to me was the building that housed the art. Check out the photo because words really can't do it much justice.
The entrance to the Museum of Modern Art

After that, we wandered around the city and stumbled upon an outdoor market. Vendors from all around the region were selling fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. You could buy pig hearts, cow intestines, fish guts, and fruits of every size and color imaginable. I bought a pork sausage. As I ate it, I stared at the head of pig that I was currently eating.
The fruit market

MOO!!!

That night, we stumbled upon a really cool church. Like one of many that we saw, but we happened to walk in right before Saturday night mass was starting. So, we decided to attend Mass. I didn't really know what I was doing, but the church itself was beautiful enough to stay. And I even took comunion. (I think that's what it's called.) Anyways, I ate the body of Christ and prayed. I know, I'm a good Jew.... Right after, we hit the bars. Feeling religously pure and renewed, I proceeded to drink myself to oblivion.
We woke up Sunday morning relatively early. We then boarded a bus back to Quito. 9 1/2 hours later, I finally arrived home. Total damage for the entire weekend, including room and board and all traveling expenses: $105.50.