Alausi Ecuador

We arrived in Alausi in the evening, Feb 9th, by bus. This is a through-the-bus-window shot before we got lost in the clouds.

For the last hour of the four hour bus trip from Cuenca, we were completely engulfed in cloud. Adding to the "otherworldly" feeling, movies were played on a TV screen at the front of the bus. We watched three movies in 4 hours, all dubbed in Spanish. The first was some silly road trip movie, the second was Kangaroo Jack and the third was Raees, an Indian movie with a famous Indian heart throb in the title role. That was the strangest -Gujaratis speaking Spanish while we were hurtling along mountain roads through the clouds.

Our accomodations are in a wonderful inn called Community Hostal Alausi. It is only a couple of years old, and everything is new and modern, clean and practical. There are beautiful murals on the walls, done by a local artist. He was adding details to one of the murals today. 

The owner, Marco, has thought of everything that a traveller would appreciate. Great hot showers. Delicious breakfast. Amongst many other things, Marco is (or was) a serious marathon runner, and volunteers his time to train dozens in the community, especially kids.

It is an exceptionally nice little town. Very scenic, "tranquilo" and friendly. 

When I was wandering around town, I passed a school where the little kids were playing outside. I presented myself at the gate, and the custodian let me in and introduced me to the principal. I arranged to return later, when the kids were finished recess. I spent about 40 minutes in a grade three class, teaching simple English songs with actions. We had a lot of fun, especially with the Hokey Pokey. I think the school visit was the highlight of my trip so far. 

Some shots around town:

 Alausi's claim to fame is its train. Ecuador used to have an extensive rail system, which was not kept up. Now there are small sections which have been repaired for short tourist trips. The section from here is called "Nariz del Diablo", the devil's nose. 

Mural of the train:

We did the train trip this morning. It was enjoyable, with some great scenery, but it wasn't as spectacular or as scary as the writeups make out. When you choose your seat, you choose either "mountain" or "abyss". We chose abyss, but it wasn't nearly as scary as a typical bus ride in the highlands of Guatemala.The train zigzags up the mountain side for 40 minutes. There was a one hour stop at a small community to experience a bit of their culture through song and dance. Then back down the mountain.
A few shots from the train trip:

Richard pretending to be terrified.

We returned safely, in time for our next bus trip...to the jungle.