Blogs from Riobamba, Centre, Ecuador, South America
March 29th 2012
Wednesday 21st March - Baños to Alausi Again we both felt a little better so it was time to take the opportunity to get out of dodge and get away from the hostel which seemed to be a magnet for chumps. 2 hours on the bus and we were in Riobamba, followed by a wlak and another 2 hours on a different bus and we were in Alausi, a small town and home to Ecuador´s most famous railway tourist attraction, "Nariz Del Diablo". We´d hopefully ride the train the following morning but judging by the complete absence of gringos in town it wasn´t looking promising. In the meantime we got to enjoy the delights of our new hotel, The Panamericano and what appeared to be a crumbling flee pit. Nice! Being a small town there wasn´t ... read more
July 15th 2011
What do most people do before a hike? Maybe look for an acceptable distance for their fitness level, do some research, talk to locals and get a map? Well not these two. We decided on a particular trail that left from Riobamba mainly because it mentioned the words “cloud forest”, “hummingbirds” and “hot springs” in the description….never mind the parts that talked about wet trails, run-down refugios and a general lack of trail maintenance. We didn’t even take much notice of the advice on bringing your own machete. Well I guess we read it because we brought one, but didn’t really put two and two together on that one. Anyways, upon arrival in Riobamba we realized several other things: 1. It was cold. Remedy =buy gloves and scarves. 2. Couldn’t find our torch. Remedy= Buy a ... read more
January 29th 2011
Hello everyone, Wow so I realize now that its been quite some time since I updated my blog. Turns out that I'm not much of a blogger, in fact I'm not too computer savvy at all, despite the fact that I graduated with an engineering degree. Whatever good that did me. Anyways, this isn't a blog entry but more like a promise of one in the near future. With photos. Within the week, I promise. Until Then, Cheers! Cara... read more
August 18th 2010
Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but you should look at that as a good sign. I'm well integrated in my community, I'm making friends and doing things. Who has time to go to the internet. Either that or I'm just strapped for cash and don't want to drop the dollar for an hour of internet to upload photos. You pick what story you want to believe. So why do I have time all of a sudden? Because I'm in a hotel this week with free wireless. So I'm saving that dollar. Why am I at a hotel? Well its not that I want to escape my community because I really am making friends there, but this week is swear in week for the new batch of volunteers and I'm on the “student council” of Peace ... read more
July 10th 2010
I called the doctor yesterday because I thought I had flees. Turns out I have lice AND flees. My Peace Corps lifestyle is so more hardcore than yours. Are you jealous yet? On the plus side, look at all the things I've been doing. I've been working with this group and we do things to make the school better. We carried a new swing set up this mountainside, we made a small green area, and then we've been working on building this wall to keep the dogs out. Also, once a week I go to Riobamba to work in this garden project at a Juvenile Detention Center. This kids are so awesome. And when I'm not working in my community I'm making things. Things like food and art. Also, I went to a party in my ... read more
June 25th 2010
Not really, but the story is... I'm dog sitting this weekend for my friend. And by dog sitting, I mean, devil sitting. As you can see from the photo, Alicia is super cute, but the cuter they are, the worse they are. My friends has basically trained her dog to poop and pee on cement since she spends most of her time on a cement porch. Oh hey remember my last entry, yeah, my entire house is a cement box. And the dog likes to bark at strange noises, which maybe isn't that bad when you live in a small city, but when you live in the campo, such as I do, the passing flock of sheep is frequent. So I'm having a bad weekend. The total list of why I'm having a bad weekend is ... read more
December 21st 2009
12.12.2009 14:10 viajando... Gluecklich angekommen in Riobamba, wo ich mich erstmal bei einer grossen Tasse Kaffee von der Busfahrt aus Baños erhole: Mittlerweile bin ich ja Busfahren hier gewoehnt, die zum Bersten ueberfuellten Klappergestelle, die mit Heiligenbildern tapezierten Cockpits, die gackernden Huehner auf dem Schoss der Mitreisenden, die bruellend laute Musikbeschallung und die Haudegen von Geldeintreibern, die einem - wie einst in Quito geschehen - schonmal um das Wechselgeld prellen oder - wie in Misahuallí - ihr schleimiges Bronchialsekret von innen gegen die Tuer husten. Aber heute war ich das erste Mal ernsthaft im Zweifel, ob ich am Ziel ankommen werde oder im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes auf der Strecke bleibe. Der Bus startete unerwartet puenktlich um 12:15 im Rueckwaertsgang und kam ganze 40cm weit, dann wurde er abrupt von einem vollbesetz... read more
