Hi!!!!

It's only been a couple of days since I wrote but it feels like heaps has happened! Nothing of major interest, just a few crazy bus rides and weird destinations! A lot of garbarge to ramble on a bout none-the-less so make yourselves comfy :D

We left Quito on Sunday on the road to Baños. About 3 and half hours of Quito it's a hard core tourist town with lots of outdoor activities. Sounds just like us right? haha nah I didn't think so... The scenary on the bus ride was amazing! It definately reminded me of home a bit, with lots of green, farms, mountains, but was a lot more impressive I must say!

The town was super cute, very small with lots of little restaurants etc etc, our hostel was weird. Called Hostal Plantas y Blanco which translates to Hostel Plants and White. Which is was. Our room was stark white with a long vine growing across the ceiling... Weird... Were in a room with an oddball British boy who insisted on answering questions that Cherie would ask me... Like "should we bring this today?" and he'd be like "yeah, I definately think you should..." It was also our first encounter with a snorey mc snorer! I know that we have been very lucky not to encounter this issue before when sleeping in dorms... but that fact is hard to keep hold of at 5.30am when you have been up ALL freaken night because it sounds like there is a large snoring animal in the room.....

Went on a waterfall tour the next day (not in a very good mood I might add) which was on a funny little bus that had no sides, and bench seating. And was rainbow coloured! Saw some cool scenary and watched some people do a bridge jump. Got to the biggest waterfall in Baños, where our guide said we would have a 'bit of a walk' which turned out to be a near freaken vertical climb down giant rock steps for about 30mins! I think I can speak for me and Cherie in that we nearly died trying to walk back up and had to stop for a breather on more than one occasion!

The Tungurahua Volcano is very close to the centre of the town, and apparently it had started spitting fire or lava or whatever a volcano spits a few days before we arrived, so we jumped on board for a night tour of this thinking that US$4 wasn't a lot to spend for such a wicked sight. Same little bus, different crowd of people though... A LOT of Americans... as in, young, LOUD, obnoxious, annoying americans... Sigh. I'm bothered even writing this, they annoyed me so much! As soon as we heard the "oh, I really want to go to Nuuuu Zeeeeland" in their annoying accents (Sorry Gina, if you are reading this! I love you, but you may be one of the few americans that I do love!) we were like 'ok, mouths shut, voices quiet, we don't want them to recognise that we're from NZ'. We managed to avoid them realising and got a choice view of Baños town, but alas a cloud was covering the volcano so no sighting of crazy lava fire things! Alternatively, they had arranged a clown to do a show... I'm not even going to get into this, as it would put you to sleep or make you want to poke a sharp object in your eye, it was THAT entertaining! Was it worth the US$4? I don't think so....

We gapped early the next day, having done no strenuous activity (other than that insane scale up the cliff face... Intensioso). Before this, we met Aussie Steve! A modern hippie of a man, i.e two outfits (including red travellers pants and a purple tight shirt which was to suffice for three months...) a laptop, and some goodies from Columbia. Strange was an understatement, but lovely all the same! He gave us some Chocolate beans from Columbia which were freaken awful, but to be polite we gnawed on them infront of him, with all the approriate responses ("mmm, these are delicious! wow!). Once he left we swfitly made use of the vine plant in our room, and deposited the beans in there.... He was going to come to the pools with us the morning that we left, but alas, we came back from breakfast and he was gone!!!! Though he was nice enough to leave behind Cherie stolen, photocopied Lonely Planet that we collected from the hell hole hostel that is El Misti in Rio.... Obviously he wasn't feeling us as much as we were feeling him! b******i!

So. Back to the story... we left Baños to head to Riobamba. The bus ride there was only an hour and a half long but it was definately dicey! At one point Cherie grabbed me to look out the window, and we were balancing on the road with a drop either side of the bus! It was bumpy to say the least - imagine people falling over when having to stand up (this happened to one man in particular. Lets call him starey mc starer so it was more amusing than anything when he bailed while standing up to take off his jumper!) and bags falling out from the overhead compartment bits (unfortunately for mr. starey, the bags hit him! ha!). Well we made it safe and sound, to the town of Riobamba. Lonely planet describes this place as a 'town that both bores and delights travelers'. I don't know where exactly the delight comes from, but it definately bored us!

We were there solely to go on the Devils Nose train trip which is a switch back train that takes you through different climate zones and is very scenic. First let down came when we found out via the net that it is now prohibited to ride on the roof of the train as two tourists got decapitated somewhere between 2007 and Jan 2008. Right, we could deal with that, as I don't know about Cherie but I wasn't planning on losing any limbs on this trip. Second, and most major disappointment came when we went to buy our tickets to the train. It was sold out. And then, as the information lady put it, on the 7th-12th of January the train 'is broken'. Righty-o. So we promptly made the decision to gap Riobamba. As riveting as it was.Seriously, I think the most exciting thing that happened in that town was stumbling across a menu with really REALLY bad translations! E.g. Papas fritas (hott chips) = fried pope, other translations included: on the grill with gears, it dilutes without gas, prostrate, and the best being.....

For what should have been cream of asparagus soup: Cremated asparagus.

Badass. Definately cheered us up a bit! We were staying at Hostal Oasis as in the stolen Lonely Planet it had promised a pet Llama! I am overly obssessed with Llamas since we have been on this trip and I was excited to say the least! Unfortunately, there was no f***ing Llama.... What the hell!?!!??

Riobamba is like Hamilton and it sucks.... the big one!

So, (the end is in sight, don't worry. Well in saying that, I am nearly up to our current location, but I still have lots to share hehehehe) we caught the bus to Cuenca today. Had great seats by the way, seats 1 and 2 right up the front, with lots of leg room. And a nice view through the curtain that separates us from the cracked out driver! The first part of the trip was mild and tranquil, with very slow driving. Very slow driving.... We then stopped at a bathroom stop. Zomg. D-SGUST is all I have to say...

Part two of our trip consisted of very erractic driving including swerving across lanes and onto the other side of the road, in cloud forests with near to no visibility. I won't lie. We feared for our lives. And did consider the fact that our bus driver may be on drugs of some sort. During this whole escapade, a bunch of locals approached the bus wearing masks and holding sticks and started hitting the bus. I only caught the end of it, after Cherie nearly had a heart attack thinking we were getting hijacked (by people in teddy bear masks...). I managed to catch the next two times it happened. It was weird. They seriously had bommy-knockers and wouldnt move out of the bus path until the driver gave them some money. God knows why, it was some special holiday though today so maybe thats why??

We're here now, our hostel room is below average but it will suffice and is only US$5 each per night for a private room with a private bathroom. This town seems pretty cool, though more upmarket and expensive than evetywhere else in Ecuador! Not sure what our plans are, but will update you guys before we head to Loja. And will wait a few days so you can digest all this! Haha, you know I'm lying, but we can pretend.

Love you all lots!