I bring truth and understanding
I bring wit and wisdom fair
Precious gifts beyond compare
We can build a world of wonder
I can make you all aware
When life presents you with a series of challenges, you can either toss your hands up into the air and give up, or you can face adversity by using both the creative and logical hemispheres.
I was able to witness the latter attitude first-hand while on Ecuadorīs famous train La Nariz del Diablo (Devilīs Nose).
The trip started out at 7 A.M. from the picturesque andean city of Riobamba. The vast majority of the travelers scrambled onto the roof of the trainīs three box cars, as is the custom and the main reason for traveling on this particular train.
To make sure I got a place on the roof, I arrived promptly at 6 A.M. Vendors walked back and forth on the roof shouting out "Coffee! Pan! Coffee! Pan!"
Promptly at 7 A.M., the train trumpted its whistles hard and loud with much fanfare, as the diesel engine began to belch filth into the air.
We slowly began our journey into some of the most spectacular scenery in Ecuador. Being on top of the roof afforded us an incredible 360 degree view, and as the train rocked back and forth on the rickety tracks, the excitement mounted ever more as we had to hold on tight to whatever we could hold onto, the wind blowing through our hair.
We passed through a myriad of indigenous villages, as many different tribes of Quichua indians waved to us and the children shouted out. From the top of the train we could see rivers, valleys, and Tungaragua Volcano in explosive form as black smoke and ash jetted out of its crater.
After about 5.5 hours, we came to the climax of the journey, La Nariz del Diablo. This portion of the ride consisted of a series of very steep switchbacks around the mountain of the same name. After arriving at the foot of the Devils Nose, the train then began the journey back up, and that is when the real adventure began.
The trip around the Devils Nose features very steep cliffs on one side of the train. Were the train to rock too much, it would plunge over the side of the mountain into a massive chasm, and that is what nearly happened..................the train derailed.
We all felt the train lurch off the rails, and skid along the railroad ties as we held on for dear life. Fortunately, the train derailed toward the mountain, and not toward the cliff. No one was hurt.
Now here is the amazing part. I figured, "Well, the train derailed, so I guess we are going to have to pull our luggage out of the box cars and walk up the mountain." But no! In Ecuador, when something breaks down, Ecuadorians jump on the opportunity to fix it with their own hands no matter how few resources are available, and that is just what they did.
The train workers put their heads together, and within minutes they began gathering stones, collecting pieces of scrap metal from inside the box cars, and chopping up vegetation with their ever-present machetes. They then placed all the materials at the front of the derailed wheels, similar to how one would put a blanked at the front of the wheels of a car that is stuck in sand in the middle of a desert (I know this from personal experience as a young child when my family and I would sometimes get the car stuck in the sand in the middle of the desert).
The train driver then slowly accelerated the train so that the derailed wheels moved over the stones and scrap metal, and eventually back onto the trains.
Everybody applauded. I was pleasantly surprised at the Ecuadorian ingenuity. I mean, heck, how many train workers in the U.S. would think of such a thing? They would probably call in the cranes and the national guard, and helicopter the passengers back to their homes, after journalist from 20 million newspapers show up to report on the "tragedy".
You are probably wondering why the train derailed. Upon closer inspection of the railroad ties, I saw how incredibly deteriorated they were and how much in need of repair they are.
So anyway, we finally made it back to our destinations, and I came back with a new-found respect for Ecuadorian hemispheres and the power of human ingenuity in the face of adversity.
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