Untitled - The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

CH. xix IN THE ECUADOREAN ANDES 199
It is a striking sight to look over the great
square at Riobamba on a market-day, and see it
crowded with Indians and rustics in dresses of the
gayest colours ; while
the shops that surround the
square have their glittering and gaudy wares hung
outside, or spread out on mats on the wide pavement
; and at the back, Chimborazo towers high
into the sky its snow shining in the sun like
polished silver and seems to touch the very
houses of the town at its base, although half a day's
journey away.
Several snowy peaks, besides Chimborazo, are
visible from Riobamba, the chief being El Altar,
La Candelaria, Sangay, and Tunguragua. The last I
call my mountain, because I explored its Hanks for
seven months, from Barios. I made a desperate
attempt to get
in at the south-western side of it,
from Riobamba, and devoted several days to it, but
paid dearly for my presumption. My aim was to
ascend by a magnificent cataract, called Guandisagua,
which comes out from under
Tunguragua,
the snowy cope of
and falls at three leaps into the warm
valley of Capil, where flourish Seville oranges,
alligator-pears, and sugar-cane a total height of
some 8000 feet (15,700-7500). What with alter-
nately wading in the cold snow-water and climbing
bed for
up cliffy under a hot sun, I had to keep my
four days afterwards, with rheumatic pains from
head to foot.
... I met with agreeable society
which I had not reckoned on. The
in Ambato
Hon. Phil
"White, American Minister to Ecuador, resides hen .
with his wife, nine months in the year. Th< \
find the climate suits them better than that of