Alausì! Shout it out of the bus driver's cabin and he kindly lets us out on the highway so that we can walk down the wonderful road to the small town. Our almost last stop in Ecuador before heading to Peru via Machala.
And so that the farewell doesn't become too difficult for me, I would like to use the following story to say goodbye to Ecuador. As always, with a few pictures of Alausì and Cuenca, one of the most beautiful cities in South America.
Alausì. Starting point of one of the most spectacular train rides in the world. The Devil's Nose. Alausì deserves a special place in my blog. For two reasons. Firstly... there is not much more to come and secondly... its name, which is more reminiscent of a Bavarian term of endearment than an Ecuadorian city. 'You are mine, sugar plum, my sweetheart, my Alausì...' From a tourist point of view, Alausì consists mainly of a train station and a hostel. The beautiful community hostel offers two specialties: firstly, a two-meter tall retired US Marine as the boss, and secondly, a refugee Venezuelan star chef. Something different from dry toast and cold coffee. For example: Pancakes!!Breakfast at the hostel is included in the still relatively cheap room price. But the real attraction is the train ride to the Devil's Nose, a rock that is supposed to look like a nose. The creepy name comes from its shape and the fact that its construction cost many lives. The train journey to the Devil's Nose is quite expensive at 32 dollars per person, the route is associated with too high expectations, and the ticket is only given to those who are early. Like me on this morning! The only railway line across Ecuador runs from Quito to the sea to Guayaquil. Steep curves, shunting operations and narrow old rails make the journey one of the most challenging in the world The entire route around the Devil's Nose is twelve kilometers long and takes 1.5 hours there and back. The train station at the Devil's Nose has a restaurant, a folklore dance group, and a small museum. Hundreds of Jamaican workers died during the construction of the route. Either due to accidents with dynamite, falls in the steep mountains, or due to yellow fever, malaria, and snake bites. Chäfi's first train ride Eerie beauty It's 6:50 a.m. After a good night's sleep, I'm full of energy! Today I'm going to buy tickets for the eleven o'clock train to the Devil's Nose. And that should be my very own attraction, because most of the good stories are found in the everyday. For example, in a train station hall. Curtain up for the characters of this little everyday comedy: No. We are not at the stop of the Schwarzwaldbahn train.. and yes, that's what it looks like. The German tourist group. Marco: Owner of the restaurant in the train station hall. He worked as a butcher in Germany for 12 years and speaks German with a broken Cologne accent. If you don't like curious mixtures of languages, you don't know Marco yet. Klaus and Thomas: Dedicated train enthusiasts and members of the German package tourist group. And.. they only speak German, of course. Mr. Cool:I have no idea what his real name is. The Ecuadorian security officer who also works as a tourist information, guide, and a self-proclaimed train expert, and of course, only speaks Spanish. The Ticket Seller: Highly motivated and needs 15 minutes per customer to sell a ticket and can... tadaaa. only speak Spanish. Let the show begin...As I enter the train station hall, Mr. Cool kindly gestures me to sit down as there is an elderly couple at the counter. It will take another 15 minutes. It must be mentioned here that if you ask, Everything in Ecuador takes 15 minutes. So I sit there and watch as the lady complains that she didn't receive a ticket. The ticket seller, by his name, points out to her that the receipt in her hand now represents the ticket. Mr. Cool smiles at me and symbolizes with hand gestures that he has the situation under control. Well.... ok.. I don't see any danger to safety coming from a seventy-year-old lady, but... Thanks! Finally, it's my turn. Well, at least almost, if it weren't for the German tour group suddenly rushing in a bit stressed. The Cathedral of Cuenca is considered a World Heritage Site. Hmm.. actually it's only the guide who rushes in, muttering something at the counter about a wrong reservation, and runs away. Mr. Cool, sensing danger, chases after him. Both disappear behind the tracks and the tour group stands there like a group of abandoned chickens on a raft in the middle of the sea. The city is adorned with many small parks. Enter Klaus and Thomas: While Klaus dares to approach the counter himself, Thomas stands there somewhat awkwardly. The scene that follows is great! Klaus, a bit lost as neither the counter clerk nor he speak a language they both understand, simply says Ticket! Then it gets complicated and he becomes increasingly nervous and looks at Thomas. And where the hell is the guide??!! Thomas rushes to Klaus' aid, and in a Stuttgart accent that is barely understandable even to me, he murmurs something. The visibly overwhelmed counter clerk looks around desperately. Klaus becomes impatient. After all, he's used to a different situation in Germany! Thomas' left eye twitches and they both wave their arms in gestures. The counter clerk looks desperate. When asked which train, the whole group, and that he needs the documents, the answer he keeps giving is: I don't understand Spanish, two tickets please. In the Museum of Modern Art in Cuenca Enter Marco! I like Marco. I met him on our first day. We had lunch with him and had a long conversation in German and Spanish. Now I am firmly convinced that Mr. Cool has shot the guide. He waves at me joyfully and asks me in German if I want a coffee. 'No gracias. un poco mas tarde con la comida! The scene falls silent! Klaus, Thomas, and the counter clerk look at me first, and then even more puzzled at Marco. Marco senses something bad when the counter clerk frantically beckons to him and disappears back into his kitchen with a grin directed at Klaus and Thomas. Thomas runs up to me and asks if I speak Spanish and if I want to help him. Since I'm nice, I do it, and in response to his question of where he has to get on the train with the ticket, I come up with a suitable phrase: 'Always follow your (Devil's) Nose!' Graffiti in Cuenca But somehow, only I found my statement incredibly funny. While my two German friends didn't really understand the link with the nose and left with a sighing Thank you, the reappeared Mr. Cool pats me on the shoulder... and asks if everything went well? Yes, I say, what a great morning, and an hour later, still smiling, I leave the train station hall looking forward to the Venezuelan star breakfast. Ecuador, Love Life!
