The Route of the Andes

8 bus rides, 1 train ride and 1 flight comprised our travels down the Andes from North to South and back again...this small country, the size of Nevada, has endlessly changing beauty...every bus, train, plane window held a different yet equally amazing view...Ecuador is truly a country to spend a lifetime in...here are the places we experienced:

Banos: an outdoor adventure capital, a small mountain town that sits in the shadow of Tungurahua, an active, smoldering volcano, which last erupted only a year ago (for the full story ask Susan Wood)...a route of waterfalls, hot springs and fresh taffy are some of the attractions that make this place famous...

Riobamba: a normal enough city that has become a major stop for tourists because it is the starting point of a famous 6 o'clock AM train ride through the mountains, including a crazy trip down a section called "El Nariz del Diablo" (the devil's nose)...it used to be more fun because they let people sit on top of the train, but last year a tourist fell off and lost his head, sooooo...they put a stop to that....but it was still a fun BUMPY ride through some gorgeous scenery

Cuenca: a beautiful old colonial city with cobble stones streets, cool architecture and, get this, a CLEAN river running through it....oh yeah and it's the origin of the "Panama Hat".




Vilcabamba: Valley of Eternal Youth...myth has it, that the water holds special powers to keep you going up to 130 years...because of that, retired foreigners have flocked in and set up a peaceful, simple town...it is known for it's tranquility, great hiking and cheap massages

16 hours in a bus or 70 minutes on a plane...that was our choice.....there was a great sunset from the plane window...the Andes look a lot different when you are above them...as we flew over the middle of the country, we were blessed with a view of Chimborazo, the highest peak in the western hemisphere...






We have seen the light!!! The sky opened before our eyes and we saw where we are headed next...we have decided to leave South America on our original plane ticket, which was a surprise to us...we will be heading to New Hampshire for the holiday months and will continue seeking out our next adventure...what can we say, we love you guys to much to stay away...