Riobamba

Lots and lots of indigenous people live here in Riobamba, our next stop. I often stop in my tracks and stare at their lovely shawls, hats and earrings.

First was the Puruha nation then the Incas in the 15th century. In 1563 the city was part of the Spanish empire before they became independent. My point being, it's a long history.

We stopped here to climb Volcan Chimborazo which looms over Riobamba but swathed in cloud just when we wanted to climb it of course. We invested in a guide and car to help us ride bikes down the designated path. Pretty steep at first and scary as the route was pretty technical it was fun as we gained courage. Sweeping past vicunas through the tropical montane vegetation was unforgettable.

We started off the day with a bone chilling tramp starting off at 4,850m to the refugio at 5,050m

High altitude made breathing challenging

Next it was off downhill on the bikes, a bit fast for my liking but the guide kitted us out with knee and elbow pads so we would have been fine if we didn't manage to stay upright!

Riding past the vicunas was a highlight, lovely looking and endearing, with its large, forward-facing eyes and small, wedge-shaped head with sharply triangular ears

We hiked to see the enchanting Polylepis trees - also known as “paper tree” which is a native species of tree growing at elevations of 4000 m. and higher. There were also many typical paramo plants like the chuquiragua and cacho de venado (deer’s antler) beautiful colorful wildflowers

The Puruha people have lived on the mountain flanks for centuries, we passed by as the farmers herded their animals and tried to ignore their dogs 

Wonderful guide Fausto 

Typical scene, taking the stock home for the night

The mighty Mt Chimborazo