Train to Boliche

I love trains.

Last year, I learned of the Ecuador train, and JC and I tried to get tickets, twice. No luck. When I went back this year, I was determined to make one of the trips. Unfortunately, I never did hear back from my professors once I got to Ecuador, JC was away for work much of the time, my colleague and I never connected, R had moved to Guayaquil, and J was moving to Brazil. So, I went by myself. It was a lovely Saturday morning, and I was headed to Boliche and Cotopaxi National Park.

 I like this little map. I had no idea I was actually heading higher, back up to 11,000 feet.

 They've done a great job with this train. It's really about tourism, and not all the lines are active yet, but it's growing. I enjoyed watching the video of the history of the program and what they've accomplished. Impressive.

 Woohoo! 

 Yup, you can just climb aboard and wander around. And I found numerous families willing to help me take a couple of photos.

 On the way. Such lovely countryside.

 First stop, Tambillo. This was really a restroom break (none on the trains) and a food/craft break.

 Coming in to stop #2, Machachi. Some folks got off here and spent the afternoon. There's some hiking and horseback riding, I think.

 Most of us went to the end of the line, to Boliche. We did see Cotopaxi on the way down, in the distance, but couldn't see her once we got off the train. She's fickle that way.

 The forest is lovely. Interestingly, many of the trees are pine, imported from the U.S.

 We had two hours here. There were two hiking trails, one that was reported to be 30 minutes in length, the other, 90 minutes. So of course I went to the 90 minute trail. There was a nice guide with photo at the start, and I figured I could judge my time by when I hit the scenic overlook -- that would be about halfway around. I also wasn't the only one -- there were folks behind me -- which always makes me feel better.

 It was so lovely at the start!

 And then it started to climb. And climb. And climb. I nearly went back. 

 I stopped to photograph these lovely flowers. I have no idea what they were, but I really liked them, and I welcomed the excuse to stand still for a moment.

 Then it leveled out a bit. I was glad -- my heart was pounding from the climb and I could feel the altitude.

 The views were spectacular, even with the gathering clouds. But no signs for the overlook, so I kept going.

Turns out, that was it! After that, I started going down. There was one odd part that wasn't well marked, but I made the right decision. Suddenly, I was off the path and back on the service road! Odd, it only took me 30 minutes. If I'd known that, I would have gone slower and enjoyed it more. As it was, I'd pushed it a bit, and my cough returned. Ah, altitude. And yes, those are llamas, just wandering around.

The site is great; there's a park for the kids to play, a field where the train crew all played soccer, a green restaurant, and a little cafe. I had some soup -- my favorite, locro con papas, which is a potato soup with cheese and avocado. It was rather chilly, and a bit rainy too.

The train was assigned seating and I was in the middle of a lovely family. I rode half the way up next to the patriarch, who told me a story about all the suicides on the mountain, and also tried to adopt me for the afternoon. Several of his children live in Switzerland with their spouses and children, so it was a bit of a family reunion. I rode part of the way back next to one of his daughters, and we had a great conversation too. (I actually bumped into the Swiss daughter-in-law the next morning at the indigenous market, where we chatted for a moment.) Traveling alone can have its loneliness and its complexities, but it has its pleasures too. I've been fortunate -- I'm sure Ecuador has its share of cranky and unpleasant people, but I've always met truly wonderful people in my journeys there.

I also really enjoyed the trip because it was my first official jaunt down the Avenue of the Volcanoes, the path through the heart of Ecuador named by Alexander von Humboldt in honor of this route through the tall (and active!) peaks. As our guide noted on the way, it's also the route of the Inka Road, and in various parts you can see the tambos, the huts of the runners, along the way. I thought this a nice synergy for my trip.

It had been a long day and was getting dark as I got back. So, I made it a quiet evening, with a lovely corvina in seafood sauce at the hotel. Sunday was going to be rough with packing and last-minute errands.