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| Recent photo of Ambato's city center |
Ambato
Ambato
is 2.5 hours by bus and 160 kilometers south of Quito. As is Quito, it
is a city located in the central Andean valley of Ecuador. With a
population of over 300,000, it is the capital of the province of
Tungurahua, and situated at an elevation of 2,577 meters above sea
level.
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| Washing clothes along the river in Latacunga |
A visitor is struck by the distinct difference in urban appearence between Quito and Ambato. A search for a historical center will come up empty in the latter city. To understand the difference, one must look to history.
On August 5,
1949, the Ambato was struck by a devastating earthquake. According to Wikipedia, it is
estimated that more than six thousand people died, and thousands more
were left homeless
and destitute by the disaster.
Much
of the city's colonial center was
completely ruined. The city was rebuilt with significant international
help. The Fruit and Flower Festival is held every year in Ambato to
commemorate the anniversary of the earthquake.
Latacunga where the clothes are being washed is a town on the Panamerican Highway between Ambato and Quito. I
remember taking the photo from the bus window. The photo below
adjoining my letter is my only surviving image of the Fruit and Flower
Festival. Not sure what happened to the other images that were developed
from the "snapping pictures right and left."
Baños
After
the provincial capital Ambato, Baños is the second most populous city in
Tungurahua with a population of about 15,000. It is an hour's drive,
about 40 kilometers east from Ambato. It is a major tourist center due
to its natural environment (it is home to more than 60 waterfalls) and
its many sport activities. Residents and visitors alike enjoy rafting,
kayaking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, hot thermal baths and other
sports. |
| The two falls mentioned in my letter |
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| More of the cliffs and waterfalls of Baños |
Baños is the last city in the eastern range of the Andes before reaching the jungle and the Amazon River Basin.
Baños is located at an elevation of 1,820 meters on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua volcano. Volcanic activity has been characterized by frequent powerful
ash explosions and lava flows that can be seen from Baños.
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| Posing in front of waterfall near Baños |
Surprises
