Riobamba, Ecuador

I ride in the same cattle truck to Riobamba, an hour and a half away but this time I sit next to the driver to avoid being covered in dust.

Riobamba, the capital of Chimborazo Province, is a messy city but seems to me quintessentially Ecuador and South America. Street sellers line the sides of the roads and old men idly sit in doorways whispering comments as I walk pass.

As I only have an afternoon to explore I decide on the Cathedral as my first stop but walk five blocks the wrong way. As I retrace my steps dark clouds loom over my head and it starts to pour heavily with rain for the first time in eight days. I weigh up the options of sightseeing in the rain or going back to the hotel and decide I can't be bothered to walk around and decide Riobamba will be one place I won't get to know.

(Photo - local children in San Pablo de Pulingui, Chimborazo Province)