Part 1, The road to the nostrils.
This Devil's Nose trip happened on March 14, 2014. There's no point on sitting on 2.4 GB of unviewed files, so I've finally winnowed them and will be doing three posts: (1) getting there, (2) doing the train trip, and (3) swinging by Ingapirca on the way back to Cuenca.
There's nothing stellar here but it might be interesting to see a little bit of the country outside the city. Mostly I've been photographing graffiti and murals while walking the city for exercise. And unfortunately I don't recall much detail about the places I visited on this trip either.
Scenery along the drive from Cuenca, Ecuador to Alausí, where the train ride begins.
A bit blurred but so was I. From an anonymous town along the highway.
Speaking of highways, you tend to spend a lot of time in the left lane, especially around blind curves (every driver's favorite around here).
(We didn't have time to stop for lunch.)
A typical sidewalk in many places.
And common traffic hazards.
It was also a warm and sunny day (on the other side of the fog).
Alausí, which looks bigger from the inside.
Getting close to the terminal. (Note paved sidewalk.)
"You are here, somewhere." The trip is that tiny piece between Alausí and Sibambe near the bottom.
Downtown Alausí.
The train station, where you had to show your passport, for some reason.
Around the corner from the terminal. The town actually looks pretty nice.
View from the "terminal cafe" looking up the hill.
The lineup. Every place has its guard, often armed.
"This one's for you." (Wiggly route ahead.)
Gringos in anticipation.
Random bipedal molecules in motion. Still waiting.
The train cars did look nice.
All settled in and ready to roll.
And now we'll pause for a few days while the other photos pull themselves together so you get to see what the rest of the trip was like.
More info.
Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos route map. (Wikipedia)
Tours still ongoing. (GringoPost, Tuesday, February 20, 2018)
Ecuador Trans-Andean Railway (Wikipedia)
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