Quito
Quito "Cultural Heritage of Humanity" is the door to a fascinating world
of culture which combines Renaissance, Baroque, Colonial, Inca Art, among
others. This will take you back hundreds of years recreating history. Moreover,
you will have the opportunity to visit places such as: Cuenca,
The Ingapirca Ruins, among other places. Places that have been faithful
witnesses of passing cultures and people who have maintained our history,
art and culture intact.
Ruminahui
and Cotopaxi
Despite what any
of the guide books may say, you can no longer get into Cotopaxi National
Park along to road from the Ex-Nasa minitrak station - you have to enter
via the main signposted approach road further south. This gives you a much
longer walk in from where the bus drops you. Hitching is not impossible,
but not that easy either during the week.
The campsites in the National Park
have a reputation of being quite dangerous, as they're pretty remote. We
didn't take any chances as the park was almost deserted, and found our
own site behind the Laguna which was hidden from view. We were probably
being paranoid, but then who knows?
The
Train from Quito to Riobamba
On the day we
took it, the train took about 8 hours to do the 200km along the Avenue
of the Volcanos from Quito south to Riobamba. There are great views from
the train roof, but beware of low power lines and take warm clothing! You
still need a ticket for the roof (about $1.20 in 1993 for Quito to Riobamba),
and a ticket inspector will wander up and down checking them.
As of Sept '93 the train is running
again all the way through to Guayaquil, and the section from Alausi to
the cost is supposed to be the most scenic section, but we had plans elsewhere...
Local
buses
The local buses are
frequent and easy to catch (assuming you can find the right "bus station").
However you will share the bus with all forms of life. Here our backpacks
share a roof rack with a flock of not terribly happy sheep.
Andes
to Jungle hike
This is a truely
spectacular hike from the Andes down an ancient trail through to the edge
of the "Oriente" at Macas. It is however, very hard going, and as you need
to carry food for around 6 days 
and
warm clothing for the mountains, you won't be travelling light!
Finding campsites can be a little
tricky, as drained flat sites free of vegetation are few and far between.
The track is extremely muddy, as it's supposedly used by packhorses (although
we didn't see any), so you have no hope of camping on the trail itself
either.
The last day has some pretty fierce
torrents to cross on "interesting" bridges. However, as it's a five day
walk back, you don't really have much choice.
Macas
to Shell
This is a 6 hour
bus ride on very bad roads, with bridges that can't take the weight of
both the bus and the passengers at the same time.
Half way, there is are two bridges
which the bus can't cross, even empty. A second bus waits at the far side,
and passengers have to take their luggage and walk across.
Autoferro
to San Lorenzo
This amazing railway is about the only way into the
northern costal area around San Lorenzo. The railway is spectacular, criss-crossing
backwards and forwards as it descends from the Avenue of the Volcanos to
the sea (or rather to the river delta that San Lorenzo is built in). Unfortunately
they don't have any trains (at least not for passengers), and instead use
converted school buses which, having exceeded their useful life on the
roads, are given a new lease of life of the rails.
It's a very strange feeling when, as the train reachs the first right
hand bend, you see the driver steer right. Even stranger when you reach
the first left hand bend and the driver still steers right, until you realise
that the steering actually operates the brakes!
On the day we took the autoferro, there were enough passengers, so
they layed on two "buses". Of course they don't actually connect them together
to form a train, the simple run one 5 minutes behind the other, and when
the first one comes across a landslide or a cow on the line (a fairly commonplace
experience), the conductor of the first bus runs back up the track with
a red flag to stop the second one.
San
Lorenzo to Esmereldas
San Lorenzo is a sleepy little place (it's too hot
and humid to be otherwise), nestled in amongst the mangrove swamps of a
river delta.
The only ways in and out of town are the autoferro and boat. As almost
all gringos arrive by train and leave by boat, and as there are two competing
boat companies, almost everyone in town seems to be trying to sell you
a boat ticket. You're probably best to buy them direct from their offices
on the main square.
The boats themselves are very long and similar in style to dugouts,
but usually with a roof, and always with two huge outboard motors.
