ECUADOR ROAD TRIP! Day 1: The Devil's Nose Train

Sometimes the best adventures are those unplanned. Our little impromptu getaway with favorite amigos couldn’t have worked out better - thanks to great travel companions, a free local tourist guidebook, our GPS, Trip Advisor and booking.com.

Not that the initial reason for our little adventure was all that positive. An ex-pat our friends had hired to help them get their residency visas in Quito had apparently walked away from his business, leaving them (and other clients, I'm sure) high and dry. No phone calls, no emails. He had their money, but had he done his job at all? Were their visas approved, or even in the process? There was no other option but to go to the immigration office to find out for themselves.

Road Trip! When life gives you lemons, you make margaritas, right? Maps out, plans got underway. Yes! We’d go right up what’s called the Avenue of the Volcanoes, towards Quito, which runs right up through two parallel chains of the Andes. Woohoo! 

We threw the bags into the back of the pickup and were on our way. The first destination was just 2.5 hours or so north of Cuenca - a ride on the ominous-sounding Devil’s Nose train. The rail line was built in 1901, and was considered to be the “most difficult train in the world” because it zig-zags through mountains like no other, rising up to 5,723 above sea level. The construction cost was over a half million dollars at that time, but the biggest toll was in the lives of hundreds of workers due to disease and accidents. In fact, many of the workers were actually slaves from other countries who had been promised freedom if indeed they did survive. Nice.

From beginning to end, this jaunt was well worth the $25 fare. As soon as we arrived at the Alausi station, I was struck by its beauty. We were told that it’s been newly renovated in keeping with its original lovely wood and brick design. Inside there’s a lovely little gift shop in which local vendors can sell their sweet Ecuadorian artesan wares.

The adorable, shiny red and black train awaiting us with its “Ecuador - Ama La Vida” logo (Ecuador-Love Life!) was any child’s dream. We climbed up and into the car, surprised to see comfortably upholstered free-standing chairs. Once we got going, we rolled down through a dry, yet pretty, mountain range, listening to a pretty young bilingual guide tell the intriguing tales of how spirits of the construction days still haunt the valley. She explained that it’s not the train itself called the Devil’s Nose, but that one of the mountain formations supposedly resembles the face of Satan looming over the once- treacherous site. Apparently the adage is that if you have difficulty seeing it, it’s because you’re closer to the devil than you might have thought. Hmmm....

We chugged on downwards and came to a station stop where we were greeted by folkloric dancers in their colorful indigenous costumes. There we were encouraged to spend the next hour joining them in dance, walking up to the Museum of the Condor with scenic vistas, enjoy a horse ride, and/or have our complimentary lunch at the restaurant.

So, all that for $25, and it was a class-act all the way. And while the ride wasn’t nearly as hair-raising as it sounded, it was definitely both fun and interesting ~ a great way to kick off our adventure.