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Published: July 16th 2007
Greetings from Riobamba, the Sultan of the Andes and home to the volcano known as Chimborazo, the country's highest peak at 6310m and due to the earth's equatorial bulge, is also the farthest point from the center of the earth--a factoid for the trivia buffs out there.
We had quite a day of unexpected events yesterday all of which led us to a premature visit to Riobamba. We had hired a 4x4 for the trip to the town of Baños located below another well know and smoking volcano, but as we wound through this incredibly scenic valley nearing our destination, the traffic came to a halt. We soon learned the road was closed due to a mudslide caused by some rain the previous night. The place we got stranded was wild because it was smack in the middle of an earlier slide that wiped out 15 houses and killed one person. The damage was apparent everywhere and we were also on the rim of a canyon where a large muddy river raged below us. Next to us was what we called "the tram ride from hell" which we later found out was operational when evacuations are necessary.
The Tungurahua volcano has been erupting pretty regularly since 1999 and the town is on constant alert. We waitied over an hour but the situation had not improved so we had to change plans and head for Riobamba. We checked out a place called "The Oasis" to stay at but it was pretty scary. This old man had a guest house in his backyard that was filled with little colorful whirlygigs and whatnot and he showed us a room with an overpowering musty odor. Naturally we rejected the place outright and eventually got to the much more pleasant Hostal Montecarlo right on the main drag. Our room is huge and costs $42 US a night including continental breaky which you can't beat with a stick. We are set for a couple days and then we'll head to Cuenca about 6 hours south. Cuenca is supposed to be a Colonial gem and we are all looking forward to that stay.
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Nikki
non-member comment
Great pictures
We were so happy when those last pics were downloaded. We are also following your trip with great interest and couldn't wait for the next installment of your adventures. Keep well and special greetings to Fernando, Jacqui and Steffi.