After surviving the Hammerhead Sharks in the Galapagos, I made my way straight to Baños. This small town, situated about four hours from Quito, is known as 'the gate way to the Orient' (the Ecuadorian part of the Amazon). I discovered it to be a fairly touristy place, not only serving Gringos, but also Ecuadorians. It was a bit of a shock, considering all the quiet places I had been to in the past three weeks. There is heaps of stuff to do in Baños, and I had a hard time choosing between mountain biking, horse riding, rafting, paragliding and hiking. The first day I decided to head off by myself on a hike up into the mountains. Baños is dwarfed by an active volcano, and I was dying to get a good look at it.
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