Trip to Riobamba

With the festivities of Carnival coming to an end, it was time for a change of scenery. Mick, Jim, Angie, and I were invited to our weaving instructor's home for quimbolitos. These yummy treats are similar to tamales, only sweet and wrapped in cana lily leaves. Patricia instructed us on the assembly. It was a lovely evening with Patricia and her family.

Our holiday began in Riobamba, which is in the province of Chimborazo, and several hours north of Cuenca. The selection of hotels was limited. Hotel Zeus seemed to be the best choice. Having made reservations on-line, we were a bit disappointed upon arrival; however, there was nothing better in the town. The countryside was lovely and encompassed a number of side trips into surrounding pueblas. A large market can be found on Saturday near Parque de la Concepcion where you can find beautiful fruits and vegetables, as well as many of the locals catching up on the happenings of the week. We found primarily the indigenous people there.

Many hats were for sale and Jim was attempting to bargain for one.

In our travels about, we encountered the local cemetery.

One of the bridges was marked by these interesting creations.

One of the pueblas, whose name escapes me, although appearing fairly impoverished, housed two large churches.

This is the shrine outside of the Iglesia de Senior de la Agonia.Mick and Nikolas are peering at the church.

One of the locals could be seen walking her pigs.

The women always carry the load.

This lady had been working in the field, notice how it is prepared for irrigation.

Riobamba was a bit cooler than Cuenca as can be seen in the attire of Mick and Nikolas.

There was a soccer game on Sunday between Riobamba and Guayaquil, everyone was excited.

One of the sculptures in Riobamba.

We decided to find our way to Tugarauhau, as you're exiting, you pass this church.

We also saw this landslide. As you drive along, landslides are common.

The drive up had taken a bit longer than we had anticipated; therefore, we didn't make it to the volcano. We needed to return to the city to prepare for an outing to Colta. Colta is a town near Riobamba and was a major reason for the trip.

Jim and Angie are members of a church in British Columbia who have supported a ministry in this area for a number of years. A couple in the congregation were missionaries in Colta for 45 years and their son, Darrel and his wife, are missionaries in Quito. The couple, Henry and Pat Classen, were instrumental in establishing the church and also translating the Bible into Quichua. Jim and Angie were invited to a celebration honoring the past missionaries in Chimborazo. Henry is now deceased and Pat is in poor health, so Darrel was there on behalf of his parents. Although Mick and I are not religious, we found the event overwhelming. The people were very warm and welcoming.

When we arrived, it was pouring rain. The church is situated in a very poor area, just outside Colta. Because of the enormity of the event, a tent had been erected for the celebration. Because of our excursion and also the rain, the ceremony had just begun as we arrived. One of the women's choirs was singing and we were given front row seats. The old fellow in red was the first minister of the church.

Darrel presented a Quichua song book to one of the ministers to be placed in a museum.

Another choir sang.

All the missionaries were honored with gifts.

Darrel received a plaque regarding his father.

Even though we were not missionaries, we were feted with gifts, Maria presented me with a toboggan that she had knitted.

This young couple posed for me. She is in traditional attire.

Another choir.

The celebration was completed with a feast of cuy and all the accompaniments.

Hotel Zeus is a simple hotel. The rooms are small. The breakfast is meager. Other meals at the restaurant are better. The one appealing feature of the hotel is the view. If the weather permits, the views are incredible. From our room we had a view of Tungarahua.

From the other side of the hotel, Jim and Angie had a view of Chimborazo.

If conditions are just right, you can see another peak in the distance, I'm not sure, but possibly, El Altar.

One more view of Tungaraua.

Another look at Chimborazo.

A view of the avenue in front of the hotel.

Riobamba is quite different in many ways from our home in Cuenca. We found a lack of adequate restaurants. There was a nice little coffee shop a couple of blocks from Hotel Zeus, La Andaluza. La Andaluza had a lovely selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and sandwiches, with outside seating. We found it a very good place to people watch, with a lot of sidewalk activity.

Although still Andean, the landscape and vegetation of the area is different. The city itself is flat, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. The celebration that we attended for the missionaries was a one-time experience for which we are extremely happy to have been participants. Riobamba is a nice town, it is worth the trip to see.

Upon leaving Riobamba, we traveled to Banos for a few days. The trip to Banos will be the subject of our next entry.

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy