Some market photos from Riobamba:

Buying and selling Guinne Pigs:

Cooked pigs:

Chicks:

Puppies:

I also have photos of kittens, sheep, fish, chickens... all alive, all for sale but I{d just bore you and my brother already said I{m putting up a lot of animal photos.

The hostel trying to keep on top of the ash problem:

Im glad I didn´t have to spend too long in Rio, early the next morning, I got a train south. You use to be able to sit on open top carrages but there was recently an accident with a tourist and you´re not allowed anymore. But it was still a great trip, stopping randomly to let local people on and off between their farms:

And a it wouldn´t have been complete without a de-railment!! Nothing serious, they say it happens all the time. They reversed, pulled the de-railed wheels back onto the track and then went about fixing the track that cause the problem:

At the end of the line, I caught a bus to the pretty city of Cuenca. Yesterday, I spent a rainy day in and out of museums and shops. I visited a Panama Hat shop and got a little tour. Their made in Ecuador but called Panama hats becuase they are allexported to Europe and the Us from the Panama Canal:

Also visited an orchid garden:

Today I hopped on a bus and saw my first Inca ruins. They are called Ingapirca and are two hours north of Cuenca. They are not very impressive, but I liked the fact I seemed to be the only person there.

Maybe the rain kept people away. I had to use the 10 second delay to get a pic of me:

Arty shot:

xxx R