Devil's Nose Train

From our overnight stay at the hacienda in Riobamba, we continued on our journey to a town called Alausi, stopping on the way to see the church of Balbanera built in 1534. Outside of the church there were still smoldering as piles of Eucalyptus from fires built the previous night to celebrate the Virgin of Balbanera. There were also stands cooking Puerco Hornado (roasted whole pig) and other stands selling souvenirs. Here we got our first glimpse of Quinoa plants, a high protein grain that grows well at altitude. It grows all over the hills and mountains around here.

In Alausi, we boarded a train for a 2 hour round trip ride down the “Nariz Del Diablo” (The Devil’s Nose). Before 2005, people were able to ride on top of the train down the steep incline, but there was an incident where 2 tourists were killed and that brought the practice to a screeching halt. The train used to operate from Quito to Guayaquil, but now it only runs the short round trip out of Alausi. They hope to rebuild the line in its entirety someday, but as you can imagine, it is a major financial obligation.

The train ride involves a steep incline with many switchbacks. The scenery is rather bleak with towering mountains and minimal vegetation except for Agave plants. Half way through the trip you stop at a place for snacks, a traditional dance demonstration, and of course more souvenirs. You can also hike up the hill to see a museum about the railway. After returning to Alausi, we stopped for a typical lunch of lamb stew and then resumed our journey to Cuenca by car, where we will be living with a family for 6 days during our Spanish immersion.