Ecuador is dominated by its mountainous topography interspersed with steep river valleys. So travelling is a challenge , more so before the Spanish arrived with their horses. Llamas and Alpacas only carry the lightest of loads and so kept for their wool . The meat is almost inedible ; guinea pig was then the delicacy . It is of no surprise that the Andean natives are short and study of leg ; they had to be , to walk the steep hills carrying their loads . A head for heights a must .
Perched atop a horse only accentuates those heights . At one side there was always that ravine . Sure footedness an essential for man and beast, with a half kilometre drop awaiting those who slip. Our hacienda offered horse riding as part of the overnight package . Not to be outdone by grandchildren , I mounted my steed ; holding firmly to the saddle . Subsequent lessons came without a pommel and instruction that you just had to balance . I tried , the horse promptly stopped ; and I reverted to a tight hold . Horse riding is four times more dangerous than motorcycling . My life as ‘caballero’ came to an end .
A snow capped summit poked through the clouds . We were fortunate to gain a view of the 6,268.2 m (20,565 ft) equatorial summit of Mount Chimborazo; it is also the closest point to the sun on earth. When measured from the centre of the earth, instead of sea level, it is the highest mountain on the planet; I am still trying to work that one out !! Ascending requires fitness, not climbing skills ; but altitude acclimatisation is essential . Not expensive , the ascent itself costs just $600 , guide obligatory. We tried a 4 km walk at 3500m , and suffered from altitude sickness. Last year four died in an avalanche on the mountain . We are now retired alpinists! All this elevation in dangerous .
No more so than to the workers , brought in from abroad, to construct the railways . Up until 1908 , the only way of moving goods from the main port in Guayaquil to Quito ( at 2800 metres) was by donkey and horse, across the treacherous landscape . Presidential vision, a considerable investment , engineering skill , and the lives of several thousand of those foreign workers resulted in the completion of the rail route . I can’t help feeling that the locals knew what was in store , hence foreign constructors .
The most challenging , and dangerous , leg was round what is now called the Devils Nose ; so named because the high death rate ( one report of 2000 ) . Here the rail descends half a kilometre in just 12. To achieve that on this mountain side , the rail has to literally zig zag down. A spectacular view , and achievement ( if you ignore the resulting bodies ). As there are an odd number of changes in direction , at the bottom is an additional “zag” so the train ends up pointing the the right direction .
Rail remained supreme , and only started to decay after the construction of the first paved road from Quito to Cuenca , in the south; completed as late as the 1960’s. Last week we took that route which ascended the opposite side of the valley to the famous ( notorious ) rail route . All rail travel in Ecuador has been suspended after El Nineo induced damaged , and the political reluctance to pour a never ending sum into track maintenance .
The view from our car window should have been spectacular but for low cloud ..ah actually normal cloud levels .. it is us who is high !! The steep and unstable mountain side means that there are frequent small slips onto the road, but for us a large one closed the road, and necessitated a diversion through a conveniently situated village . On the return , however , reconstruction required a diversion of some 5 km on single rough track, requiring alternate direction. We were fortunate that even this existed; and that we just missed a rock fall with boulders house sized.
Our destination of Cuenca was worth all this excitement ; in being a beautifully preserved UNESCO sight. Our guide on the first morning was a fount of local knowledge , enhancing our enjoyment . He clearly however was not a geological expert, reassuring us we were well clear of volcanoes and earthquakes . The day after we left , an earthquake destroyed a building close to our hotel . Descending rubble proving fatal .
We will look forward to returning home, closer to sea level ; though with global warming , not too close!
Beware falling rocks, one of four!
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