Monday, Feb 18th, Riobamba, Ecuador

Greetings!

This morning, Robert and I hit tennis balls for about an hour on a court that has seen its best days.  The racquets and balls we used have also seen their best days.  Notice I didn't include either of us in those statements.  Hope still springs eternal.

After lunch, we hopped in our bus and headed off to see if we could find clear views of the volcanos in the area near our next hotel.  Along the way, we drove through several towns which feature specially items: ice cream, jeans, roses, more wood carvings.

We also headed to a higher elevation valley to see a railroad station at about 13, 000 feet.  Invited into one of the main houses across from the station, we were served local plums, pears, and cherries, and a sweet berry juice which were all delicious.

He also had a great drawing of famous leaders on the wall, and a book of photos of the volcanos in the area published in China in 2002.  Looking through it was about the closest we were going to get to seeing the volcanos, as the were very stubborn today.

Behind his house were two old thatched-roof houses which gave us an idea of how the typical rural indigenous family lives.  Guinea pigs were being raised inside, and the remainder divided into food/wood storage and sleeping quarters.

We finally arrived in Riobamba, and walked the streets to, as Diego said, "experience Ecuador".  One vendor stall offered a delicious fried plantane (banana) with cheese, as we watched it being prepared.  After about 30 minutes of walking, we met up with our bus, and then drove to a lookout point to try one last effort to spot the volcanos.

You'll have to forgive my many telephoto shots trying desperately to capture the moment when one of the five volcanos appears from behind the clouds.  We got close with one, but will keep trying.  I still say the photos look good with the clouds and the mountains peaking out.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Monday, Feb 18th, Riobamba, Ecuador.