Baños is Ecuador's “adventure central,” and part of that adventure is due to its location, location, location. The famed town is cuddled on the lap of a 16,480-foot volcano called Tungurahua. This Ecuadorian bad boy has been spilling his fiery guts off and on for hundreds of years but — like an exhausted giant, Tungurahua is napping peacefully — for now anyway. "Dormiando," one of the friendly locals explained. If that takes some of the thrill out of our visit, it also takes out some of the uncertainty. Baños, 6,000 feet, is routinely closed off to visitors when Tungurahua awakens. Jack and I first tried to visit last year, but were told "lo siento, pero Baños es cerrado." A few days later, the volcano erupted, shooting ash six miles into the air. An even more significant
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