Ingapirca, Riobamba, and The Last Ice Hunter

 In the bus and on the road at 7:30am, we were heading to Ingapirca.  On our way there we made a pitstop to see and taste "tascaritos" - pig skin roasted with a torch.  "Tascas" is the word for skin you peel, such as an orange peel.  They would baste the pig with oil mixed with some annetto and roast half of the pig at a time (to ensure it was always freshly roasted) and would use the other portions of the pig to make a variety of dishes.  It didn't really taste like anything noteworthy, but we saw plenty of roadside stands selling them, and they are a cuisine local to this specific area of the country.

 We were on a similar route to yesterday (some of the road were the same), but the Andean vistas were just as mesmerizing. The Cañar province is known for our destination Incapirca.  

The name is the Kichwa expression for "Inca Stone Wall"and the 16th-century ruins are the best-known Inca settlement in the country (a product of the Inca's conquest of the indigenous Cañari). Ecuador has several ethnic groups, one of the ones in this area (the Cañari) were some of the strongest warriors and even the Incas had trouble conquering them.

The ruins are located in a lovely setting, but were not quite what I expected (maybe I was imagining something more like Tikal, in Guatemala).

Onward to the town of Alausí (All-ooo-see), in the Chimborazo province (also the name of Ecuador's highest mountain), known for its railway history.  We had a lovely lunch at El Mesón del Tren before wandering through town and learning some of its heritage. At one time this town was very famous as the starting point of the Nariz del Diablo ("Devil's Nose") train. The Ecuadorian railway system began in the 1860's as a way to connect the Pacific coast with the Andean highlands (Guayaquil to Quito - what used to take a week could be done in 2 days once the line opened). The section we visited was for transporting to Riobamba and was an impressive engineering feat as it "is among the most audacious projects realized in the Andean mountain range".  

At one point you could ride on the top of the train as it made the zig-zag path up the mountains (they would rent you a cushion for your bum).  Alas, heavy damage from rainstorms in the late 1990's, lack of upkeep, the popularity of the Pan-American Highway, and, of course, the pandemic  all had a part to play in the government finally ceasing all operations in 2020 for the liquidation of the company. They now have plans for a "Public-Private Alliance, which will allow repowering and rehabilitating the Ecuadorian train" since it is considered a "national cultural patrimony".  Here's your odd fact of the day: the train tracks in Ecuador are 10" smaller in width than the rest of the world.

 One our last leg of the journey to Riobamba, Antonio told us that earlier in the morning he had learned about the death of "The Last Ice Man".  Antonio knew him personally (his name was Baltazar Ushca), and told us some about the history of ice hunting and experiences Antonio had with tourists and Sr. Ushca.  Here is an excerpt (translated into English) from the article linked above:

"Baltazar Ushca Tenesaca was born in 1944 and became an icon by being the last iceman of Chimborazo, an activity characterized by collecting ice from natural glaciers, located around the highest point of the Chimborazo volcano, and supplying that material to the La Merced market in Riobamba .

In his youth, he shared this activity with his brothers, but gradually he became alone until he became the 'Last Iceman of Chimborazo' , for which he received hundreds of awards in Ecuador and the world . In fact, he was the protagonist of several documentaries and reports that were published in different parts of the world.

What was his activity like? He climbed to the highest peak of the volcano religiously on Tuesdays and Fridays. He had to walk for seven hours or more and he did it in rainy, sunny or snowy weather . It didn't matter if he had to bring down 22 kilos of ice that were divided into up to 10 blocks wrapped in straw.

When he was 77, Ushca embarked on a new stage. He started his business called Agua Baltazar, which comes directly from ice cubes that he extracted from the volcano. From snow to the bottle, this is how Baltazar sought to get his product.  Tourists from different places have come to Guano to try the product. Baltazar and his family have worked hard to make their innovative product reach all corners of Ecuador."

We arrived at Hosteria La Andaluza, and if you can fall in love with a hotel, I fell in love.  Every facet of the location was a delight, and it was absolutely oozing charm.  Antiques, flowers and fauna, small rooms with chandeliers, fountains, street lamps with stained glass - it had it all.  I only wish we would have had time for an official tour of the hotel to learn its history. 

Our dinner that night was in an immense dining room, at what appeared to be a 20-foot table.  I said to Subash "It looks like we'll be eating like kings!", to which he replied, "Well, you will eat like a princess."  He's a hoot.  Dinner was delicious with the most astonishing potato soup I've ever eaten (I think it was called Locro de Los Andes) and a delicious mix of meats cooked (and served) on a hot volcanic stone.  

Towards the end of our meal a group of 5 men came in and played music for us on traditional Andean instruments.  Their first song was quite sad, and they explained that it was due to their region morning the death of the Last Ice Hunter.  After that initial song they played several more lively songs and many of us got up to dance to the music while they played and sang.  A delightful way to end the evening in such a lovely location.

You can take a virtual tour of the hotel here: https://hosteriaandaluza.com/tour360view/tour.html