images of ecuador, part ii

took the 'nariz del diablo' (nose of the devil) train ride from alausi to sibambe back to alausi and then to riobamba. here are some shots of this train that zig-zags through the hills of central ecuador. it's an incredible feat of engineering since you're right on the edge of a cliff, and the train has to do switchbacks to get down. you can sit on the roof, which would probably never be allowed in first world nations, but in ecuador they're more than happy to oblige.
spent a night in alausi. not much to see or do here, but there's a big st. peter looking over the city. view from my hotel

this is what the smell of a third world town looks like

this is street food. so far, i haven't gotten sick from any of it, which is an amazing feat of bio-engineering in itself.

view from the roof of the nariz del diablo train

at one point, the train stopped, two of the conductors got out and hunted for these big green vegetables.

this guy got only a small one

and then for some odd reason, the other conductors made him take his shirt off. all while on the roof. then they started slapping him and beating him with a leafy stick. it was a funny, albeit, odd looking sight.

pretty hillside view

mothership cloud

othership cloud

people seen along the way on the train