We board the train in Quito at Chimbacalle train station.
There are no train gates in Ecuador. So at each intersection we have motorcycle guards that stop traffic for us.
They ride alongside the train for the entire trip.
Our first stop is El Boliche train station. We continue via bus to Cotopaxi National Park.
At the park we walked around a lake to a viewing area.
It was a very high altitude so it was difficult to walk very far. John remained at the viewing platform. I ran to catch the rest of the group that were walking around the lake. I lost my breath and couldn't continue so returned to the viewing platform with John and walked back to the bus.
They told us that this is the national flower of Ecuador and that there is a humming bird that has a symbiotic relationship with the plant.
However, if you google the national flower of Ecuador you either get the rose or an orchid.
Most of the plants grow very low to the ground due to the altitude.
Next stop was lunch at Callo Hacienda. There we saw examples of Inca walls, we were able to purchase crafts and some people fed the llamas.
The Inca wall is the grey part in the center of this building.
Next we went on to the Lasso train station in Latacunga where we got to see Los Ayllus practicing some traditional dances.
Finally we were taken to our lodging for the evening. La Cienega Hacineda housed not only the French Geodesic Mission as they attempted to measure the circumference of the earth but also, at a different time, Simon Bolivar. The hacienda is so beautiful that I will give it the next complete post.
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