We made our way to Salinas, which included two busses and a ride in the back of a truck taxi. The truck taxi mode of transportation was cool because it provided great views of the mountains along the way.
Truck taxis are used in this part of the country to frequently transport people between the bigger town of Guaranda up the mountain to Salinas. There is only one road in to Salinas. During our ride, 4 very, VERY, let me stress EXTREMELY drunk Ecuadorian men jumped in with us for about 20 minutes of the 45 minute ride. Sometimes Matt doesn't really know what the heck people are saying in Spanish, so add a drunk slur and he really has no idea. Most of the time we weren't sure what they were saying or laughing at, but regardless, we got there safely and they added some entertainment.
Quick note about the area: apparently a European visited this poor village and saw a way to help. He proceeded to help them form a Co-Op of a community that produced cheeses, salamis, chocolates, and a few other things (including soccer balls).
In our day there we proceeded to see the whole town from top to bottom in four hours. We walked through town and at each factory (more like small brick buildings, not necessarily large manufacturing structures) we were able to walk in and see the workers in action.
We also hiked up a small mountain in the main part of the square in order to see an aerial view of the town and surrounding mountains. What a sight!
After the tours and hike we made a tasty lunch out of the salami, cheeses, sausage, and yogurt from the factories!
This really was a small town. Town closed down soon after dark and there were maybe five restaurants in all of town. One of them happened to be a pizza joint, with only two tables, that we ate at two nights in a row. Good pizza in Colombia and Ecuador has been impossible to find. We keep ordering it and we keep being disappointed. Too much cheese and no red sauce. We miss Grimaldi's. The pizza and calzones at this restaurant were actually pretty good.
It was quite a good feeling being in Salinas. Matt said the weather, smells, and accommodation reminded him of a late November/early December weekend in Texas at the "deer camp". It was a cool 50 degrees, overcast, gravel roads, and the smell of smoke was in the air from the fires used to heat homes and cook. On top of that, our place of sleep did indeed look and feel like the deer camp; including no hot water. We stayed at the less expensive of the two places called Samilagua. The beds, with four blankets piled on each, stayed warm through the night, and there was a quaint common area with a fire place for $7 each a night.
Salinas was a nice break from the go-go-go at times of travelling.
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