Riding Atop Trains

So, when the opportunity came for me to jump a ride atop a train, you know I had to take it. The train left the town of Riobamba at around 6 in the morning and went all the way to a place called The Devil's Nose - a series of hairpin turns high up on a mountain side. The view was incredible and a spectacular experience.

Things got dodgy when the train derailed. If you're ever on top of a train that derails, its a very disconcerting experience. There's this huge series of thunderous bangs and then the car starts wobbling back and forth. This feeling is complimented nicely by the sheer panic of being mere feet from a deathly fall down the nearby cliff.

A train, derailed.

A conductor with a stick trying to rerail the train. I was suspicious of his technique.