52. Train derailment

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

Quito, Ecuador

Wake up naturally at 0630hrs without an alarm. Oh. My. God. Am turning into a morning person. This will not do. Have been going to bed at 2130hrs and asleep by 2230hrs. Altitude does this to you. My normal routine has been disturbed. Bed at midnight and a forced wake up in the morning is the norm. To paraphrase Noel Coward in ‘The Italian Job’, altitude has upset my natural rhythm.

Quick waltz around the Hacienda La Cienega before breakfast. This is unheard of. A morning walk. What is happening to me.

Short bus drive to Cotopaxi Volcano. It’s cold and grey driving through the cloud. A brief stop at the park entrance and everyone is busy buying alpaca jumpers it’s that cold. Contemplate buying one too as there’s a 90minute walk around a lagoon to do and it will only get colder as we drive up to 13,000ft. Decide to stop being so nesh. British and used to the cold.

Drive up to Cotopaxi volcano passing signs for the emergency evacuation route for this active volcano. As we reach the lagoon at the foot of the volcano, find that we have driven through the cloud and now above the cloud level. Bright blue sky and sun streaming down. The strong winds coming in from the other direction are holding back the cloud bank we’ve just driven through. Cotopaxi volcano is your stereotypical volcanic snow capped cone, bit like Mount Fuji in Japan. Cloud hovers over the top which means we can’t see the rim but it’s impressive being so close to it nonetheless.

7km/4mile walk around the lagoon, which at 13,000ft, doesn’t feel too bad considering and feel rather energised by a bit of exercise. Don’t feel as though I’m up at 13,000ft so must be acclimatising.

Drive through the cloud again to the railway station at Boliche and pass NASA’s satellite station used to track their equipment. Being on the equator, it’s the closest point on Earth to the satellites. When computing power was minimal in the 1960s, every little thing helped. Now, it doesn’t matter so much as mobile phones have more computing power than the space missions of old.

Soon after leaving Boliche there’s some major excitement. The train derails. Sitting in the bar car looking at Mr Ohio in the adjacent observation car bouncing up and down wondering what the hell is going off. The train comes to an abrupt halt. The final bogie of the train set under the observation car where Mr Ohio was standing has derailed. It’s left scars on the sleepers for about 20m up the track. Mr Ohio and I find this quite exciting and interesting. Bit of engineering. Thinking to ourselves this is going to need cranes and heavy lifting gear. This is going to take hours to resolve. We’re in the middle of nowhere.

15 minutes later.

Wheels are back on track.

Amazing how they do it. No sooner had the train stopped, all the train crew jumped off. One went to get a load of green vegetation. The rest lugged heavy metal parts up to the bogie. A large looking staple and a heavy duty ramp. The staple is placed under the track to hold the ramp tight up to the track. The green vegetation is then placed on the ramp to act as a natural lubricant (rather than oil). Train is slowly reversed back so that the wheels are caught by the ramp and as the wheels go up the ramp they slide back on to the track.

That’s it. Simple.

Soon enroute again. Amazing how quickly they do it but told it happens couple of times a month. So they’re used to it.

Because of the derailment it’s a late lunch at the ‘Station Hotel’ in Machachi. You would never stop at a ‘Station Hotel’ in the UK. They’re more like hostels or a drop in centre for drunks and druggies. This however. Is nice. Has been in the same family for five generations and converted house to hotel and restaurant which is very rustic and charming. All agree that the sorbet served is the best any of us has ever eaten. Great little place.

Continue on the train to Hacienda La Alegria. A privately run farm and cowboy ranch. Greeted by a dozen or so cowboys riding their horses running along the train. The atmosphere is somewhat ruined as they’re flying a TripAdvisor 2016 Winner green flag.

The visit is cut short due to the earlier derailment but walk through a very smelly milking parlour complete with cows being milked to see the cowboys give a demonstration of traditional horseback skills. Riding at speed to a line at high level from which hang a number of gold rings on ribbons. Tradition has it that they have to spear a ring and present it to a young lady to grab her attention. A number of middle aged women are made very happy.

Quick tour of the house which was built in about 1911. Notable for the original wallpaper in the dining room as it’s the original Crown Wallpaper from England.

Approach the suburbs of Quito. The final miles on the train are a bit grim. So much litter lying about and plenty of unfinished scruffy houses. The rail line goes down the middle of the streets so get to see into all the houses and apartments. Plenty of people waving.

The motorcycle outriders have their work cut out with all the crossings they have to secure. They’ve been with us since Guayaquil. There’s four of them racing along to the next junction to ensure the tracks are clear of traffic and to prevent people crossing until the train has passed.

Arrive Quito station. It’s only been four days but friendships have been formed and sad to say goodbye.

Taken to Hotel Plaza Grande (https://www.plazagrandequito.com/). At last a hotel with some heat. The old grand hotel located adjacent the main plaza but the road is blocked in preparation for the arrival of the German President tomorrow so have to walk the final block.

Need to replenish US Dollar cash reserves so am escorted by the doorman to the ATM as “it’s late and you never know”.

Having dinner and all of a sudden the lights are switched off. A bell chimes over the speaker. A hooded Ku Klux Klan figure approaches the table nearby.

It’s quite spooky.

A cloud of mist envelopes the table.

Spookier.

And then.

They tuck into their ice cream covered in liquid nitrogen.

A bit of theatre for your ice cream.