Baños

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We decided to spend out last weekend in Ecuador at Baños, a city in the mountains known for its hot springs. I didn´t realize until we got here though, that it was also known for its waterfalls and various adrenaline-packed activities. Baños is located Northeast from Duran in the highlands.

After a 6.5 hour overnight bus ride we arrived in Baños at 5am. Thankfully they let us into our hotel at that time and we slept for a little while. When we woke up we had breakfast on the roof and saw for the first time how different this area is from Duran. There are 250 days of rain here per year (we experienced 2) so there is a lot of greenery, something that is surely lacking in dry Duran. Baños is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains. It's gorgeous, there are literally breathtaking views.

We spent the first day exploring the town and then we took a chiva to a lookout point at night. A chiva is basically a flat bed truck with benches on the back. From the lookout point you can see the town of Baños and the active volcano that constantly threatens the town. Unfortunately, it was cloudy that evening so we couldn´t see the volcano. While we were up on the mountain we tried the local Canelazo, similar to warm apple cider. They also had a 2 man comedy sketch which was pretty funny.

On Sunday we took a tour to the Amazon. The day brought a lot of adventure. We took a cable car across a canyon towards a waterfall. Then we hiked for 30 minutes down the side of a mountain to see another waterfall. The hike back up was very challenging because of the altitude here. The air is very thin. It was worth it to see that beautiful waterfall though.

Then we went to the Puyo River and took a ride in canoes. The ride was a bit scary because we kept hitting rocks. There was a lot of water coming in the boat too, but constant bailing worked well. Then we went to the ¨zoo¨which included sightings of a turtle and two tapirs, who were super friendly and liked to lick bug spray off of people´s legs. After the zoo we walked around a lake at the end of the rainforest and saw an alligator. It was about 5 feet long. The guide said deeper in the jungle they get up to 12 feet long.

A typical Ecuadorian lunch was next followed by another hike up to a lookout point. From the lookout we swung on a rope swing off the side of the mountain. I was definitely nervous to do that one at first but I´m so glad I did.

Then we took a hike into the rainforest. We were walking through streams and on narrow paths the whole way. We saw a tree nicknamed ¨Dragon´s Blood¨because its sap is red. The guide slashed the tree with a knife and it looked like it was bleeding. The sap is sour but it said to have medicinal properties. Then we picked up river stones originating from volcanic rock. We put the mud from these stones on our faces to absorb their minerals as well. Then we ate ANTS! These ants hide in a leaf and taste like lemons. It was really strange. Our destination was another waterfall, but this one we could swim in! It was could both inside and outside of the water, but I would never pass up a chance to swim in a waterfall. That lead to the worst part of our day...it started pouring when we were in the water and our clothes got soaked so we had to head back to town in wet clothes. The drive on the open air chiva was about 2 hours and it was cold out. It was worth it though.

Needless to say Sunday was a busy and adventurous day so today we´re taking it easy. Emily and I got chocolate massages this morning and now we're going shopping and to check out one last water fall. Our bus heads back to Guayaquil at 5pm for 3 more clinic days. I hope to spend lots of time with our families this week, that will definitely be the part I miss most about Duran.

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Comments

[Cathy Kelley]

omg
omg the cable car looked so scary...sounds like you are having the time of your life...glad your having a good time! See you soon! :)