All Roads Lead to Riobamba
4 October 2005 (Tuesday) – Baños to Riobamba, Ecuador
All roads lead to Riobamba… so claimed Riobamba, which is in the heart of Ecuador. The route from Baños to Riobamba was described as ‘closed’ in my ancient guidebook due to eruptions of Volcano Tungurahua. But apparently, it was opened now, although the road did look very ashy and felt a little dangerous as we bounced around a bit. The bus kicked up a lot of dust and there were workers perched precariously along the road in the midst of repairing it.
If you looked out of the windows as you passed by the highways of Ecuador, you would definitely notice paintings of huge blue hearts, with three lines by the side, suggesting a beating heart. This, I am told, is drawn on the highway when someone died in this spot. Ah yes, in Colombia, they do the same, with a kite-shaped star. Here, they paint a blue heart. Sometimes, I see up to 5 hearts at one spot. Gosh…
Riobamba, to be honest, is not the prettiest town here in Ecuador. It felt a little like a ghost town now as many shops were closed for a siesta in the afternoon. I half-heartedly walked around the city to have a ‘taste’ of it and read that from Parque 21 de Abril, I supposedly could view the famous Volcanoes Chimborazo and Tungurahua on a clear day.
Well, here I was and it was not a clear day. Well, I could just about make out the bottom slope of Chimborazo and it seemed strangely very near. Unike Tungurahua, Chimborazo is an extinct or sleeping volcano. But at 6310m, it is touted as the place furthest from the centre of the earth or something. Whatever…
Tags: 07) Crossing Ecuador Line, Riobamba
swesn