An update on the rest of our time in Ecuador....From Quito (after having been delayed a week thanks to some inconvienient theif on a bus who stole a bag - camera, passport, airtickets - you know those important things!) we headed South.  By the way, the Ecuadorians were horrified and blamed it on the immigrant Colombians - at least that made us smile!)QUITO - BANOSSo we started our trip south by bus to a small town called Ambato (100-150km south of Quito) and then changed bus to head 50km or so east to the town of Banos.  This place is famous because it sits underneath an active volcano (Tungurahua).  The road between Ambato & Banos was cut off by pyroclastic flows earlier this year and they are still in the process of rebuilding it.  You can still see the mud flows (now static) on either side of the road as you pass through.  It is clear that the slides came off the mountain, across the road, wiping out a few houses and the disappearing over a 100m cliff into the river valley below.  The road is barely mud at the moment but as it is the only access to Banos, they have to re-open it asap.Anyway, after an interesting drive to Banos we checked into a nice hotel / hostel costing around 8 pounds per night for the room (we have had as cheap as 6 pounds!)  The next day we hired bikes and undertook a well known ride of 60km.  It is famous because it takes you from high in the Andes down into the tropical rainforest area (aka The Orient).  The first part of the ride was mostly downhill along a sweeping road which ran along the Rio Verde, a huge muddy looking river which runs like a torrent down its gorge for over 60km. After several stops at viewpoints and thundering waterfalls we reached the bottom of the downhill section (about 45km into the ride).  There we stopped for lunch at a basic roadside shack which doubled as a home for the inhabitants.  We asked, in Spanish of course, what was on the menu and we were told & shown a whole pile of fresh trout which had been caught from the river.  The view from our outdoor table in the sun was of the huge river disappearing into the jungle below us.  Quite inspriring and a welcome relief after a while in the saddle (not being used to it anymore - we were both complaining!). The remainder of the ride was more undulating and required a good level of effort in the humid heat.  The the end of the ride, the town of Puyo, we managed to put the bikes on to the roof of a bus and catch a lift back to base.  A great day. I almost forgot, on the previous night we took a drive up onto the side of the volcano.  Local companies organise drives up there to watch the volcano´s pyrotechnics at night.  We, along with 15 or so other tourists, sat on the seats on the roof of the truck for an hour long night drive zig-zagging up a dirt road with blaring dance music. At the top we stood on a viewing platform with warm local whisky type drink to watch...........clouds.  Yes, it was a low cloud night and we saw no volcano!  Good views of the town´s street light below though.  Shame. RIOBAMBAAfter Banos we headed back to Ambato on bus and then another bus south to Riobamba (about 50km south of Ambato).  Instead of taking the direct route our guidebook suggested a major detour around the tallest mountain (volcano) in the country, Chimborazo, at 6,310 metres.  Superb bus journies over the highest paved roads in the country.  Almost prefect cone like lump which did not seem so high until you remember that the road is alread on a plateau of around 4,500 metres - difficult to breath even though sitting dead still!  During this double bus journey we got caught up in an election rally in Guaranda.  The country is about to elect its 6th president in around 8 years such is the political mess here.  One of the candidates and his team were parading through the streets of this small town clogging the road system completely - tiresome but fun.    Once at Riobamba we spent the night before our next excursion.  Riobamba is famous for its train ride known as El Nariz del Diablo (the Devil´s Nose).  This was built between about 50 & 80 years ago to attempt to link the coastal city of Guayaquil and the southern Andean city of Cuenca.  It came across so may diffculties in its construction that it became known as the world´s most difficult railroad.  Only a small section still runs today, from Riobamba to Sibambe. We woke at 5:00 for a 7:00 departure.  We took our seats on the roof of the train (as is the system here) on comfy cushions leaning up against heath-robinson style safety railings.  We sat next to another travelling couple who had also just arrived from New Zealand, good chats there.  The journey down the valley was fantastic.  V hot but amazing views of rural Ecuador and all traffic stops and hoots to salute the train!  After several hot hours with a cooling breeze, we arrived at Alausi for a pause before the descent of the Devil´s Nose. During the journey, local folks jumped on and off the train selling everything from wooly hats, gloves, knitwear, food, drinks, beer etc.  They bravely walked along the centre of the roof of the train (while moving) while plying their trade.  Good to see! The Devil´s Nose itself was impressive.  The train had been heading down a valley for most of its journey, which ultimately would have taken it to the sea about 40-50 years ago.  Suddenly the valley comes to a steep drop-off which no train can do.  So the engineers had the idea of a zig-zag down the mountain where the train does not turn at the apex of the corners but instead goes into a siding in the mountain, then the points are changed behind it and it then reverses down the next steep section.  All of this we viewed from the roof of the train looking alomst vertically down into the valley below.  Fantastic. At the bottom, we had a short pause before trundling back up the same way.  This time we only went back for about an hour to Alausi before disembarking to find a bus south to continue our journey.  At Alausi the bus we wanted to catch was full (of tourists from the train with the same idea as us).  So, a slightly drunk chap with a plaster over one eye adopted us and said he knew where another bus would go from.  So the three of us with all of our belongings trekked the length of the town the up a steep muddy slope past smelly pigs and though maize fields(footpath being close of course).  After much expletives from us weary & hot travellers, there was a road.  Our friend had no idea when the bus would come other that ´soonish´, we began to lose faith in him at that point.  Good for him though, after 5 minutes there the bus was.  He was overjoyed with our 1 dollar donaiton to his cause (no doubt more beer!). INCAPIRCAOn the 3 hour journey south we befriended 4 Australians heading the same way, to the Inca ruins of Incapirca.  After another brief bus journey we arrived at the tiny town of Incapirca, check luggage into a scruffy looking hostel and tramed up to the ruins.  While not on the scale of Machu Pichu, they were nonetheless impressive to see in the setting sun. Hostel was V basic, lacking water much of the time and hence no flushing loos.  Oh dear!  Up early next morning the 6 of us took another bus to the main road then another south to Cuenca, the country´s 3rd city.  Beautiful colonial architecture was one of the highlights of the city.  Spent the next day doing various jobs.  I looked for camping cooking equipment for our forthcoming trek & M saw some sights of the city including befriending a Panama Hat maker and learning about his work - he did not want to let her go after an hour in his tiny shop - oh dear! (she convinces me he´s no competition) Fun & games at our hotel though.  Upon arriving there was no cold runing water in hotel so no washing or WC flushing to be had (again).  We were promised water soon.  After 7 hours we had had enough so packed up and moved hotel after negotiating a free night´s stay upon our return to the city after out trek.  After heading out into town for the day, by the evening we were all set for our trek with food, water, clothes, gas stove, maps, compass etc. all ready. PARQUE CAJAS 3 DAY HIKEEarly start, on to bus to Parque Nacional Cajas, effectvely the Lake District national park of the country.  After 1 hour we were in the park and jumped off bus with enormous rucksacks with enough kit to survive three days at around 4,000m altitude.  After buying park entry tickets from warden, we walked to road to hitchhike the uphill road section to the start of the trek.  Soon found ourselves squashed in the back of a jeep with three cheery locals who were on their way to the coast for a few days.  Soon at the start of the trek at 4,150m alt. Beautiful clear blue sky day.  Walk started mainly downhill and we soon saw the first lake.  Not large by UK standards but there are 232 in the park.  First few hours getting used to large loads to carry and applying sunscreen & hats.  Reached 4th lake by lunchtime and tucked into to time of tuna salad & bread while sitting next to waterfall overlooking lake.  We had not see a person since starting walk.  After lunch was the first bit of uphill.  Not too far but at the altitude with our heavy loads it took a good while.  Reached the top and walked next to another lake before finding a site to pitch up for the night. Again, we found ourselves alone in a stunning spot overlooking lake.  Basic but hearty hot meal on our hired gas stove.  Good night´s sleep, not at all cold surprisingly.  As per usual with camping, early start.  Basic breakfast & tea, pack tent & head off straight into another uphill section between two glacial lakes.  Slow pace but another amazing view greeted us at the top.  Brief excursion into Cloudforest (grows in Andes at moist, cloud-level at bewteen 1,500 & 3,500m alt.).  Wonderful trees, plants, flowers, birds etc, not disimmilar to Wistmans Wood on Dartmoor.  Then for the big climb of the day up to the watershed of the Pacific and Atlatic oceans.  4,080m alt. we arrived at the top.  From here you look west into the Pacific watershed (from where we had just come from) and to the east into the Amazonian basin which, naturally, flows east into the Atlantic.  What a view, we could see the whole Nacional Parque. A bit of level walking then up another pass to start the descent.  Broke the descent with lunch and more downhill until weather turned a bit on us.  On & off drizzle for a bit while walking down mountains & next to lakes.  Non-stop views.  Orienteering was fairly easy as visibilty was good.  However, compass was always to hand to check that we were heading off down the right valley (well trained in my childhood you see!)Slight confusion towards the end of day two struggling to find the INca ruins which marked the recommended spot for camping on night two.  Yet again, we had a whole day in the mountains without seeing another person, fantastic.  The ruins were fairly small but there was a good spot near a stream to spend the night.  Fairly clear evening to watch stars over dinner out there in the wilderness. Lots of night noise - owls hooting, frogs croaking and many fire flies.Next day, poor Michelle was sick with a cold and a bit miserable but the walking was spectacular.  There was a flat section past a few more lakes then start of a steep descent off the plateau down a rocky track, almost 45 degrees slope in places.  Finally reached the tropical style forest for a flat walk back towards farms & civilisation.  Only saw signs of other poeple halfway through day three.  Sadly that was the end of the walk so we tramped to a main road and flagged down a bus back to Cuenca.  Another night in hotel then another early start to catch bus to coast. SALINAS (BEACH)Some of my host family from Quito were spending a week of holiday on the coast in the town of Salinas, a short distance to the west of the country´s largest city (Guayaquil) although not the capital.  Two buses got us from Cuenca to Salinas in about 7 hours including a changeover.  We are getting fairly regular on these buses and they are generally fine unless it is too hot. At Salinas we met up with Diego, Maria and Daniella.  Stayed in university accommodation as Diego´s university is affiliated with one at Salinas.  Couple of good days relaxing on local and not so local beaches.  Much fresh fish and seafood eaten on a regular basis.  Evenings spent at our university base and second night was a superb outdoor BBQ of the largest prawns / shrimps of whatever you wish to call them.  They were about 6 - 8 inches long! On the third day M & I decided to head up the coast for a day trip to a well known flora & fauna haven, the Isla de la Plata, about 100km north of Salinas off the coast to the west of Puerto Lopez.  Aftyer a 2.5 hour ealy morning bus journey we got there to find that the only tourist boat going to the island that day was full!  Oh dear!  After M chatted to helpful lady (in the "banós" of all places!) we learned that a local fisherman took tours out on his boat too.  We managed to persuade this chap to take us along with two local ladies.  To make it worth his while he asked M to act as his translator (her spanish can´t be that bad) to lure other tourists into coming with us to make up numbers.  M did a fantastic job and got three others along (Irish mother & daughter and a german girl). After almost two more hours of organising we set off at around midday.  It was an ex-fishing boat of about 40 feet by 10 feet with no cabin just a basic canvas roof for the sun.  The plan was to take us on a 3 hour tour out towards a few islads to see some whales, birds and do some snorkelling.  After almost 2 hours of heading what appeared to be straight out to sea (in fairly strong swell), our spotter, two crew, their young neice & nephew, M & I and 5 other tourists had seen ´nada´ (nothing!).  So we headed north for another couple of hours towards Isla de la Plata.  Still, no whales after 2 more hours.  I was starting to spot a pattern here!  At the Isla we snorkelled for a bit and looked at the impressive birdlife on the Isla.  All good stuff but having been on a boat for 4 hours and seeing some interesting birds and a few small fish, I felt the need to see something more spectacular. After the Isla we headed out to sea again and the swell picked up further.  One of the Ecuadorian ladies had become a nervous wreck by this time and was reduced to a shivering head on the floor of the boat as she was scared of the crashing waves, many of which broke over the boat and landed in it!  M and I donated our rain jackets to her and another girl.  The captain was still determined that we would see whales so was happliy taking us out further on his planned route.  At this point M & I managed to explain to them that their tourists were now wet, cold, wave-beaten and that the ever decreasing chance of seeing whales was becoming less of an incentive to remain at sea.  So, he reluctantly agreed to take us back to port. After 6 hours we arrived back with most of our kit soaked, no whales having been spotted, hungry and a little grumpy.  Well, good on the whales I say.  It´s their ocean and they should decide when and where to perform.  They clearly decided not to perform near our boat and that was fairly clear!  After bidding farwelll to the crew and very apologetc captain we headed into town to look for bus back to Salinas (in the dark!).  The last bus was waiting in the street and there was standing room only.  So, there we were, stading in sticky humid bus, holding our bags (if you put them down for 5 seconds they WILL be stolen) about to set off on a 2.5 hour bus journey.  Great.Luckily after 20 mins we got seats and tried to doze.  This was hard as there was a Chinese kung-fu film on the TV (v loud) followed by even louder salsa music all the way home.  After 3 hours we got home.  So, an eventful day: 5.5 hours on buses; 6 hours on a fishing boat in rough seas and; a few fairly weak photos to show for it.  Oh well, we put it down to experience. The next day it was time to head back to Quito.  We packed up the car with 5 of us inside it and almost all of M & my belongings on the roof.  This was a job as driving styles and road conditions in Ecuador are not best suited to roofracks.  After 2 hours we and our bags arrived in Guayaquil for lunch.  45 minutes of driving round the city looking for the waterfront at 30 or so degrees, was becoming a bit much.  Lunch on waterfront was, however, excellent, then back to car for a further 8 hours on the road. Again, 45 mins spent asking passersby and taxi drivers "how do we get to main road to Quito?" we evenually started the journey north.  It was a slightly frighteing journey as it was not a motorway and there were masses of trucks and buses on the road which simply HAD to be passed.  Other than a brief dinner stop we soldiered onto Quito through the afternoon and evening.  The climb up the valley from sea level to almost 3,000m alt. was spectacular.  The steep, winding valley road was semi-shrouded in mist and was well lit by an almost full moon.  This combined with lit up trucks and buses pasing us only inches away made for a truely spectacular journey.  Got back to quito and bed at around 23:00 at night after leaving Salinas at 9:30 in the morning.  Well done to our driver (Diego) for a stirling Stirling Moss impression all the way home!!!! The next day, we said our sad good-byes to this family who had taken us under their wing to catch our flight to Lima, Peru.  We arrived at the airport and had to buy another ticket!  We were both furious and fuming - will take this up with our travel agent!  It´s a long boring story, but we made it to Lima in one piece!