Got up early today to do a tourist train in Riobamba to see the famous "Nariz del Diablo" or "Devil's nose" a very clever switchback that got our train down 305metres down the side of a mountain within 5 minutes. Very clever. We had to be at the train station a 6am - our lovely hostel owner drove us there so we didn't have to walk the kilometre that early.
The train was fantastic - we sat on the roof - wished we had purchased beanie and gloves after a while but the train pulled into a local town and we purchased bananas wrapped in pastry that revived us. And they deliver to the top of the train!! Now that's service. The trip lasted about 4 hours and travelled throught the countryside passing through small villages and causing great excitemnt for the local kids that wouls run through the fields they were currently working in to wave. The horn got a great workout constantly scaring the dogs that try to take the train on, pigs thats are wandering down the tracks with their piglets, children desperatly trying to get their cows and other various animals off the tracks. The train didn't derail once - something special apparently and we only stopped a few times for rockslides.
It was a touristy thing to do (we haven't done many as often you can do it yourself cheaper and better - like all the tours you can do) and prety much the reason people visit Riobamba. We cruised back by bus and slept most of the way.
