RIOBAMBA, ECUADOR
First one on the bus to Riobamba...After a third day in Quito...trying to get my ATM fraud papers notarized unsuccessfully (even went to the US embassy which was closed on a Friday), I headed to the bus terminal to catch a bus south for Riobamba...The competition is fierce in those bus stations. Even if you pull up to a window some other guy from a different bus line is trying to pull you over to his. I had about a half hour wait before I boarded the bus, during which time, I must have heard them (4 different guys and 2 different girls) yell/sing/mutter, "Riobamba, Riobamba, Riobamba, Riobamba, Riobamba" about a million times trying to get passengers. When I finally got on the bus, I was the only one on for about 5 minutes. I'm thinking, "There's no way they're gonna fill this bus with all those people yelling 'Riobamba' and how many different bus companies there are. " Well, we were due to depart at 2:20pm. We left the terminal right on time...but for the next 20 minutes we went at a crawl trolling for passengers. During which time every vendor selling everything from newspapers to sandwiches to fruit, to cookies would hope on and off the bus. But, finally we were underway with a full bus don't-cha-know! Surprisingly, even with the 20 minutes of trolling we made it to Riobamba in 3 1/2 hours instead of the 4 that was described in the guide book. NICE! I got in with a little daylight left and was able to catch the tail-end of a parade in progress.
I'm pretty sure this kid will be hard of hearing after the parade. The music was SO loud!
Impressive Riobamba!
Seems things are bigger in Riobamba!
Ecuadorian woman.
My room in Riobamba, complete with private bath, tv with several English language movie stations, a chair and a set of shelves. Martha Stewart would be impressed with this place!
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