A long strange trip its been....

This is right about where things started getting really weird...

Heading North with Stu and family on the high altitude highway the adventure begins. Cuenca to Riobamba weaving between the inter-Andean valley between the Sierra's listening to Stu talk about land use history along the way by walky talkie. I stopped to snap this pic just before we reached the town of Aluasi and that's just about where things started going strangely wrong....

That's Big Blue stopped up ahead on the highway. I found a balloon in my vest earlier in the morning left over from the Carnival water wars weeks previous. To break the boredom Arthur filled it up at the last truck stop for one last fun surprise splash on the other truck. I mean why not? We launched it in slow motion glee when we drove past Big Blue only to watch in horror as the water balloon shattered apart the side mirror completely. Glass and plastic explosion! Imagine our jaws dropping....Really? Water balloons that shatter glass, who knew? Seth was pretty pissed....a bit of a party foul

Karma is reciprocal and it was soon placed back on our misguided deed. Now, my truck won't start. Battery problems and a push started it down the hillside into Alausi, a cute Andean town in the valley with a statue of a giant saint rising from the center of town like a giant shephard over his flock. It turns out I just needed to clean off the battery connectors and we are ready to go again. Waiting on main street I looked over to see a huge clump of palm frond limbs fall on a group of stray dogs. There was yelping, cries, and a crowd of people soon gathering. Strange days continued....

Later when we finally could see the giant snow capped mastiff of Chimborazo looming ahead I jumped out of the truck passing an indigenous woman on the road who collapsed in front of me. Que paso? Que paso?! Quickly some kids arrived and what a strange sight that must have been. A truck full of gringos....soon though she starts to wake up with my prodding and seems fine. Talking to the boys it turns out she is epileptic.....yep, this seems perfectly in tune with the mood of the day. What next? Well, look, you can see Tunguragua Volcano to the North-east from here. And it is erupting!

To top it off Stu had us stay with a friend who runs a sort of indigenous half way house in Riobamba. It is called simply, la casa indigena. It is a wonderful idea started by a local pastor and saint around these parts named Leonidas Proano that serves as a place for poor campesinos to stay the night and get a warm meal in the city instead of having to sleep on the street. Hence I felt more than a little awkward as a group of privileged foreigners staying in a place for poor campesinos, though Stu and his friend insisted. Spartan with cinderblock walls and tiny bunks but it will do. Round off the night meeting Stu at one of the ritziest restaurants in Riobamba for dinner, an old hacienda once frequented by the great Simon Bolivar himself, and the irony was just killing me....

Oh what a long strange trip!