Baths, trains and a whole lot of Rob Schneider films

After several intensive days of trekking the Quilotoa circiut, we decided it would be wise to spend a little time having a well earnt rest. Arriving at Baños at 8 pm, we quickly got a taxi to a backpackers' hostel nearby. After getting unpacked, we were given a tour by the hostel owner, the lovely Yolanda, who took a shine to a certain blond member of our part (read - Franklin). Feeling pretty tired, we hit the hay after watching the only English thing on TV, NCIS.
The next day, after my tooth was fixed by a very friendly dentist (with very questional apparatus), we visited one of the town's famous thermal baths, the temperature of which was just too hot for us. In the evening, we treated ourselves to pizza and steak, found at a restaurant called ´restaurant good flavour´. On our 3rd day in Baños we again treated ourselves to more fancy food, in the form of an american breakfast. I cannot tell you how nice it is to smell frying bacon after over 3 weeks without it (3 weeks , my family can account for, is a very long time for me). To earn this breakfast (which also included fruit juice, coffee, croissants, butter, jam, eggs and bread) we walked up to a viewpoint above the city, and then in the surrounding paths around. After such an intensive workout, myself and Max (who has, for all you folks at home, requested the nickname ´Monsterdog´), decided it would be money well spent to get a massage. The options were limitless, from ´Geoffrey and Edith´s´, to an alley where a 60 minute full body massage was $20. In the end, we opted for the Chinese massage (performed by Ju Xing and her Ecuadorean friend), after reading a review in the window quoting ´Ju Xing knows all about the body´s capacity for pain´. 30 finger-cracking, back-hitting and shoulder-rubbing minutes later, we were walking down the street, eating vegetable dumplings and wondering whether Xu Jing would be able to understand the comments we left in her guest book.
The following day, it was time to depart Baños (after another fried breakfast, which we cooked ourselves). A few hours later, we were in Riobamba, staying in an old converted spanish colonial building for $4 a night. Our plan was to ride on the roof of a train along the ´Devil's Nose Railway´. Unfortunately, this was not possible, so instead we decided to do the offered alternative. Unfortunately again, we would have to get up at 5 am to purchase ticket. Oh well, we thought, I´m sure it will be worth it...
To pass the time in the afternoon, we got some chocolate cake (and, admittedly, a glass of milk) and bought some supplies to make sandwhiches with (in preparation for the upcoming train ride). In the evening, we went for a meal in one of Ecuador's many chicken and rice restaurants, where we ate while one of the waitresses kept on pointing her phone at Franklin (due to his blond hair). When we stood up to leave, she simultaneously ducked to hide under the counter. Most peculiar.
Early next morning, after eating our processed-cheese, processed-ham and couldn't-even-be-called-processed-chicken sandwiches, we boarded the alternative devil's-nose-railway train, which we assumed would be a fast, action packed adventure passing through the heart of the andean mountains. We couldn´t have been further from the truth. The train bumbled along at about 15 mph, passed through suburbs, visited a church and a muddy pond, bumbled along some more, passed through another little town, and ended. On the way we also passed a cement factory. According to our guide, it employs a lot of people and makes a lot of cement. Who would have thought. Admittedly there may have been more, but we all fell asleep. After this we had a 4 hour bus ride to Cuenca, during which we were forced to endure a medley of Rob Schneider films. In Cuenca, we found a nice hostel, relaxed and ate a massive pizza. In fact it was so massive that it didn´t fit on our table so our waiter took it to one side and guarded it for us while we ate. Then we visited a museum (where we saw real shrunken heads) and an aviary, ate lunch and visited an internet cafe, where I started to write this blog post. And that should get you just about up to date with our adventure so far.