Thursday 22nd January: The Devil's Nose train and other travels and tribulations
Today was never going to be a straightforward day. As I have previously said, we had intended to catch the train on Wednesday, only to find its first run of the week is Thursday, when we were meant to be travelling to Cuenca. There was no way we were not going to take the train given other elements of our trip to Ecuador had been dropped to include the trip to Alausi. So we took a gamble that we could both do the train and then catch a bus to Cuenca.
We headed down to the station early to pay for our tickets. Two days before, the kind man on the ticket desk said we could store our cases at the station whilst we did the trip. He remembered us and what we didn't realise he had given us the front seats on the train with extra leg room and windows. A strange thing here is that many places do not take credit cards, including the station, but our tickets were sent by email.
A loud and cheerful band played the train off on its descent.
We were in a first class coach, decked out in wood panelling and padded seats.
With a jerk, the train pulled out of Alausi station and the drop below was already considerable.
We could see the track below us.
There were many picturesque views of gorges and rivers.
The Devil's Nose was the most spectacular and ingenious section of the Guayaquil to Quito railway built between 1897 and 1908. Prior to the railway being built, the journey between the two cities could take 2 - 4 weeks. The President at the time thought a railway would unite the country, in the same way Pinochet thought the Carretera Austral would link all Chilean communities.
This historic train ride takes you through the heart of the Andes mountains, navigating sharp zig-zag switchbacks that descend over 500 meters in just 12.5 kilometers. Let's say the views were vertiginous and as the area has a reputation for landslides, each bump was scary. There are two switch backs on the cliff where the train heads into a siding one way, the points are changed, and it heads out onto a lower track, in the case of a descent.
Below we could see Sibambe Station, which sadly now is the end of the line. The Guayaquil-Cuenca route closed during Covid.
Hilly terrain.
End of the line.
We stopped at Sibambe Station, where you could get food.
On the return journey, you could flip your seats the opposite way so you weren't going backward.
The driver dismounted and cuts some cactus leaves.
Bridge
The points could be changed in seconds.
Sibambe Station.
Engine repositioning for the return ascent.
At the station, we were entertained by local dancers.
The obligatory alpaca. We were also interviewed on camera by the local tourist board and, of course, we had to mention Derbyshire's role in railway history.
A lethal looking blade!
We wound our way back up the hill and it was no less spectacular.
Exiting a switch back.
The rate of ascent was very fast.
The hills were covered in landslides.
Workers loading their tools on the train.
A very large spirit level.
Returning into Alausi.
A bullring.
We were so glad that both this piece of engineering genius has reopened and that we noticed it was open and could ride on it.
Having collected our cases, we hailed a taxi and asked to be taken up to the gasoline station on the PanAmericana. He must have known we were going to catch a bus as he asked which direction we were heading in.
When we were dropped off, we were relieved to see that others were waiting for a bus to Cuenca,
Whilst we were waiting, pick ups would stop and offer people lifts to nearby villages and the people would hop in the back with bags of beans, onions and maize.
After about a twenty minute wait, a bus turned up and we boarded. It was packed and there were no seats so we stood. However, a lovely gentleman offered Joan his seat.
Kevin also got a seat as people disembarked and eventually we managed to sit together.
The journey to Cuenca takes four hours and for the most part of that we were in low cloud, so there was nothing to see. The driver was heavy on the horn and loved overtaking, despite the bendy roads.
When the clouds occasionally cleared, there was rich grazing pastures. The area is famous for its milk.
Many sellers got on the bus and we bought some sliced mango.
Kevin on the bus.
About 6.00 pm we pulled into Cuenca bus station. We wanted to message the accommodation to let them know we were here, but there was no public WiFi. Most of the accommodation we have used here, we have only needed a code to get in. Here someone was going to meet us.
Neither of our SIMs work in Ecuador so we can only contact people when on WiFi. We didn't know what to do but took a punt on jumping into a taxi. We were lucky. The driver spoke a little English and we speak a little Spanish. He took us to the address we had got from Booking.com and he said it didn't make sense. Joan explained about her SIM problem so he rang our host instead. We had been sent the completely wrong address. We were about 15 blocks away. If we had had a less helpful driver, we could have been left on a street with our cases and a big problem.
The driver took us to the new address and rang our host to check we had the right place. In fact, a man was already waiting for us with the keys. It goes without saying, a big tip was given!
Our flat is lovely, just on the edge of the historic centre with city views from the balcony. More photos tomorrow.
It was now fully dark. Unlike Quito, where we were advised not to go out on the streets after 6 pm, Cuenca is regarded as one of the safest cities in South America. A quick Google search showed us there was a vegan restaurant on the banks of the Tomebamba river that runs through the historic part of the city. It was about 12 minutes away.
Tomebamba River
To our surprise it was deserted but they served us nonetheless.
.Joan had a mushroom Philly sandwich which was messy but delicious.
Kevin had a Seitan steak cooked with cocoa and red wine which he thought was delicious. The Ecuadorians (like the Brits) love their carbs as many meals come with both rice and chips! Some were fed to the super cute restaurant dog. Don't tell Fuchsia.
It pretty much tipped it down on the way back. This is the view from our balcony x
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