Recap pt.2: The Devil's Nose

The train ride to El Nariz Diablo was far less diabolical than expected. We would have liked to climb up to the train roof to see the view from there but that's been banned due to the death of two Japanese tourists who managed to behead themselves somehow. Damn you Japan! You'd think that the nation which brought us Godzilla, origami and DragonBall Z would have briefed their nationals on the dangers of low-hanging objects. Also, our train wasn't really a train, but rather a converted bus with a motor. The real train was overbooked and we didn't manage to get tickets, despite our 5:30 am wake up. The 'conductor' of the train/bus (or 'truss') was the real star of the show however, as he insisted on turning the steering wheel with grand movements despite the fact that it clearly had no impact on the train's route. In fact, he often steered in the opposite direction that the train was turning. Funny guy; we have photos I think. Ben befriended two little Ecuadorian girls sitting in front of him. They were cute and curious. Their grandmother says they watched too much TV. I argued that they watched too little. We left it at that.

The train left us in Alausi, where we, as well as many other of the train's passengers were to take a bus to Cuenca, a popular burgh known for its colonial architecture. I had high hopes that it would be a place of tranquility and inspiration for our writing... and still do. The bus to Cuenca was thankfully livestock-free, though it did lose a tire on the highway, and we were treated to the beginning of several pirated dvd's which cut out midway through. Also, a bottle of water fall on my head from the overhead storage bins to the delight of other passengers... a sign of things to come.