The Devil’s Nose is a mountain the Trans-Andean railroad had to pass. And because this mountain has almost perpendicular walls it was quite a challenge for the engineers to do so.
We entered the train at 8am and enjoyed the scenic track through the valley and listened to the explanations of our guide. And when we arrived at the Devil’s Nose, we could finally see how the engineers had solved their challenge. Because there was no space for the train to turn, it drove down in a zigzag. And so, we drove down forward and backward, reducing 500 meters of altitude in only about 12.5km in distance.
The name Devil’s Nose originates not from the shape of the mountain but from the fact that many workers died during the construction of the railroad. They died of Malaria, Yellow Fever, snake bites and uncontrolled dynamite explosions.
After passing the nose we took two stops. The first one to enjoy a scenic view on the mountain and the second one to enjoy a traditional dance performance and to watch the Ecuadorians in their traditional costumes.
It was a fun tour and we were lucky to have had perfect weather because when we entered the bus to continue our trip to Quenca it suddenly started to rain.
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