About
50 km [31
miles]
south of Guamote
lies Alausi,
the starting-point
for the most
dramatic part
of Ecuador's
rail network:
the plunge
down La
Nariz del
Diablo
[The
Devil's Nose].
The small
town, with
its church,
plaza and
cobbled streets
comes alive
for its Sunday
[and
smaller Thurday]
market.
Things
to do
The train
ride Riobamba-Sibambe-Alausi
or Alausi-i-Sibambe-Riobamba
costs around
US$20*.
Tickets are
available
for sale at
10:00 at the
station [Tel.
930126].
The train
leaves Riobamba
at 07:00,
arrives at
Alausi at
11:30 and
then goes
onto Sibambe
45 minutes
later. It
stops at Sibambe
[Devil's
Nose]
for 10 minutes
and then goes
back to Alausi
at 13:45,
stops here
for another
10 minutes
and returns
to Riobamba
at 17:30.
Getting
there
Buses
to Riobamba
[2
hours, US$2*]
and Cuenca
[51/2
hours, US$4*]
are regular.
However, they
don't actually
enter Riobamba
so you'll
have to walk
from the Panamericana,
about a kilometre
from the town.
To Ambato
[31/2
hours, US$2*].
*Prices
are approximate
Last
updated 7th
July 2006
| |Article contributed by Dominic Hamilton||| |
