Baños.....Going Solo and Missing Manni!!

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So our first solo trip in South America was an eventful one to say the least!!! After our last night in Lima, Paul and I got up early to catch our flight to Quito, Ecuador. When we arrived to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed by 2 hours.... the first sign that we were in for an interesting day 😊

Once we got on the plane, the flight was fine and we landed safely. The next step was to get a taxi to the bus terminal to get tickets to Baños. Baños is a lovely town in Ecuador next to a volcano and is a popular spot for rafting, mountain biking, hiking, etc. Once we arrived to the bus terminal, trying to find bus tickets was an event in itself!! There was one bus to Baños but it was leaving in a few minutes.... so Paul and I quickly loaded our bags and went to the loo... when we came out the bus was leaving... without us!! And we were surrounded by screaming locals trying to tell us which bus was ours!!! Bedlam!!

Once we got on the bus the next 3 hours or so ran smoothly. It was really interesting watching everyone... the local guys who get on every hour or so trying to sell snacks and drinks. After about 3 and a half hours the bus stopped and we thought we had arrived or were at least close to our destination. Instead all the locals on the bus started talking frantically in Spanish. We didn't understand a thing.... but heard one word "LANDSLIDE"!!! It had been raining for a few hours that day and turns out whenever it rains in Baños, small landslides fill the roads due to the ash surrounding the volcano. End result..... the bus couldn't go any further!!

Lucky for us there was a local man who spoke English and explained that this happens from time to time.... that we needed to hike a little and we'd be in Baños. So everyone got off the bus, grabbed their bags and proceeded to hike in the pitch black! Paul and I had our huge rucksacks!!! a tiny head lamp and I was wearing flip-flops.... not the most ideal hiking footwear. And turns out it wasn't a short hike. We were walking for about 20 minutes up hills, across rickety bridges, etc.... was pretty scary!

Finally we caught up with everyone else who were stopped at the side of a dirt road! All I kept think was THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE BAÑOS.... Turns out this wasn't Baños and to get to Baños we needed to hitch a ride!!! So the locals proceeded to bash the side of every passing car, truck, etc until eventually a dirty, old fruit truck stopped and everyone piled in..... bags, babies, dogs, bikes.... the lot!!! There was at least 15 of us in the back and the ride was really really scary! After another 20/30 minutes of being thrown around in the back of the truck we arrived.... ALIVE!!!

The really helpful local man pointed us in the direction of our hostel. Unfortunately when we arrived at the hostel there was no-one around so we had to wait another 20 minutes!! After one of the nicest showers of my life, Paul and I headed to a local restaurant for some well deserved food and a cold beer!! The following day the whole experience was hilarious... and I suppose at least we can say we've experienced true South America now!

We spent the next two days relaxing in beautiful Baños. The weather wasn't great but it didn't really matter. We relaxed, drank coffee, ate some lovely food and tried to catch up on email with friends and family.

On our last night we ended up playing pool and Salsa dancing in a local club til the wee hours of the morning with a gang of locals 😊..... I think we could get used to this life :-)

-- By Karen

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Photos

Baños
A really pieceful, beautiful town.

Chillin' in Baños
Just relaxing in a cafe with some tasty coffee.

The new way of life.
When we get back to Ireland we are going to have to get some hamocks! How do we live without them?

Our colourful say in Baños
The hostel room where we stayed. Ecuadorians love their colours, it make everything more interesting.

The Square in Baños
A church in the centre of the town

Another street photo
We really enjoyed our time here, very relaxing.