December 02: Riobamba

(1) I left Banos mid-morning, having boarded a bus for Riobamba. The plan was to catch a ride on the Devil's Nose Train early the next morning, and then move on to Cuenca. I ended up sitting with two Australian backpackers named Rhett and Triston. It was a two hour ride to Riobamba, and Rhett helped pass that time by explaining his Insane Clown Posse tattoos. When we arrived in Riobamba, we each checked into our own room at Hostal Los Shyris. It wasn't a hostel in the backpacker sense, but, rather, a less than spectacular hotel. However, it was close to the train station so we could wake up early for the 7am departure. We spent a couple hours wandering around this bustling city, but eventually ended up back at the hotel.

(2) We got a little bored, so we decided to head on up to the roof of our hotel to create some trouble. Having found five large soda bottles, a giant jug, a rock, and a deflated basketball, we invented a new sporting craze that's taking over the planet - Bottle Ball. The very basic rules are as follows... The giant jug (not pictured) is placed in the back by a wall. The rock defends the jug as an added obstacle. The five large soda bottles are placed two at each wing, and one in the middle. Each player's turn grants him three throws of the deflated basketball from a line twenty feet away. Each large soda bottle that is knocked over is worth one point. The giant jug is worth three. If a player happens to knock down three bottles with one throw, he is allowed to stand one of the large soda bottles up again for another possible point. A game consists of five rounds, and the player with the most points wins. A tie-breaker was never determined. In as such, the best possible point total for a round is nine, but an excellent score is eight. Each of us represented a nation for the inaugural Bottle Ball tournament. I, of course, represented the United States. Rhett stood proudly for Australia. And Triston, being Australian and Maltese, waved the flag for Malta. Scores were written in orange chalk on the roof. By nightfall, we had played for close to two and a half hours and managed, only once, to let the ball fall five stories to the street below (a bottle fell twice). It was pure genius.

(3) The final score from our major Bottle Ball tournament: Malta 15, Australia 10, United States 30. USA! USA! USA!

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