Riobamba

Time to go to the next place: Riobamba. I got up pretty early to catch the bus at 6:00am. It should take 2hours to go from Baños to Riobamba. I organized a tour to one of the vulcanos there. They should pick me up around 8:45-9:00 so that would match. But apperently some road was blocked so there was no bus going. They told me at 6:30.. oke don't panic. I decided to take another bus to Ambato (one hour from Riobamba) and get a bus from there to Riobamba. But also that gave some problems because they where also working on the road at Ambato so the bus didn't stop at the terminal. A long story short.. it eventually took me 1 bus, 2 taxi's and 1 hour of hitchhiking. Which was the first time, me hitchhiking.. I got in a car witch a couple that was driving to work, around Riobamba. The car didn't drive to fast and at one moment the bus to Riobamba passed us, funny...

I arrived at my hostel around 9:15 and really thought I missed the tour. But they still where waiting for me!!! Lucky me! It shouldn't had taken 2minutes longer because then they would have gone without me.

We went to the vulkano Chimborazo. It was beautifull! The whole view was stunning! We drove to 4800m to walk the last 200m to 5000m. Including me we were with 4 people, 2 tourists and 2 guides. The other tourist had a little problem with the oxygen level but I was pretty fine. Nevertheless I stopt a lot of times to catch my breath. After 40min we arrived at 5000m! And funny enough, after a break we went to 5100m and that inly took us 7minutes. It even snowed for a little bit.

When we got back to the car they gave me a bike and I could cycle the mountain down to the town for lunch!! That was one of the greatest things I did till now! Wauw what was that stunning and it felt great!!! It was 33km and it took me less then an hour. The beginning of the route I couldn't go to fast because off all the humps in the road and gravel but after that, oohw men.. I was going as a rocket! They also gave me a helmet, elbow- and kneeprotector just in case. Did I already say that it was AMAZING!! The weather was so nice and the views great!

Lunch at 14:30 was very welcoming because in the morning I didnt had time to eat breakfast so that tasted very good. The other tourist had a headache, altitudesickness its called. My luck was that I already walked at different hights, 3000-4000m and I drank a bottle of coke on the way up. Somebody told me that sugars help against altitudesickness. So perhaps that had helped me.

Back at the hostel I was pretty tired and walked a little bit aeound town to get some food. But it was already dark and I didnt't see any restaurant. Only shops, a supermarket and 2woman at a foodtruck. It smelled nice so I bought something that was in a banana leaf. I thought it was rice with something, I thought one costed a dollar but then I got three of them. When I had a bite I realized that it was cake... very nice cake but still no dinner. I got some noodles at the supermaket and went back to my hostel.

I went to bed pretty early and woke up around 4 with a bit of a headache. I ate some chocolate and then it was gone again, luckly.

The next day I gave one of the cakes to a Swiss couple to try and I went into town to get a few pictures of streatnames. On the map I found the birthdates of my sister, mother and myself. Good way to explore the town! When I arrived at my birthdate.. it was not there anymore. They changed it... at least they changes it to my mother's birthday so I didn't walk there for nothing! 

After exploring the town I started on my third and last piece of cake when a homeless person spoke to me if I had money. I asked him if he wanted some food and he said yes. I gave him my last piece of cake. So eventually.. I still got one piece for 1dollar.

In the evening the Swiss couple and me went to cook together. They already had the ingredients so I got some beers. It was a lovely evening!