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Published: October 25th 2005
Neighbors in Banos
These roosters were kind enough to wake us up our first morning in Banos.¡Hola Amigos! We made it to Ecuador! After a pretty uneventful trip from Durango to Denver to Miami, where we managed to dodge Wilma, we made it to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Also home to 1.4 million or so people. We took some time to get our bearings, and didn´t really do much the first day except walk around and try to nap a little. Our first meal was real Ecuadorian fare, but nothing too odd - we haven´t tried cuy yet (fried guinea pig, a delicacy, for those of you not in the know).
Monday we ran some errands, including confirming and paying for our Amazon trip in a couple weeks, and made our way to SAE - South American Explorers Club - where travelers can get some good info on Ecuador. We then had an exciting cab ride to the bus station - terminal terrestre - a very sketchy place that we were told to avoid if possible. Well, it wasn´t possible, so we did what we had to - instead of buying a bus ticket in the station, we just ran around to different buses parked and asked if they were heading to Banos. It worked
pretty quickly, and we were settled into a bus in not much time.
Ran into some excitement when a guy sat next to me (Gabi), when practically the whole bus was full. I knew something was weird, and I was trying to figure out how to tell him to go away, or sit behind me or something, and in the meantime he´s trying to point something out to me outside. Luckily, Paul, sitting across from me, was paying attention, and said my name when he heard some velcro on my pants pocket being opened. The guy skedaddled quickly, and he didn´t get anything - there really wasn´t much in that pocket anyway. A good learning experience.
Our bus ride was definitely exciting - everything you hear about South American buses is true - they drive very fast, they speed up and slow down all the time... but no farm animals were on our bus. We think there´s a rule that at a double yellow line buses have to pass as fast as they can. There´s a guy who´s sort of the bus driver´s helper who, when we´re in town, is hanging out the door, saying ¨Vamos a Banos!¨,
trying to get people to jump on the bus. We met a really nice young Ecuadorian guy who wanted to practice his English - he spoke very well, which is lucky because we´re just getting by with our Spanish.
Anyway, we made it to Baños, and we love it here! Banos is at the base of Tungurahua, an active volcano. It´s famous for its hot springs. It´s so much more relaxed than the big city (Quito), where we felt very uncomfortable (armed guards - and I mean ARMED - on every corner). We´ve only seen one or 2 armed guards in Banos - in front of Western Unions, etc. People are so nice, you don´t have to worry much about pickpockets, etc. We went for a hike today to try to see Tungurahua - the volcano that erupted a few years ago and put Banos out of business for a while. Unfortunately, Tungurahua was shrouded in clouds, as it usually is, but we had a nice hike. Tonight we´re going to the baths, tomorrow on a bike ride down river, then heading to a small town on the way to Cuenca. Oh, and we have a beautiful view of
Girls on parade
Around 3pm this afternoon, we happened upon a parade - we´re not sure what it was for, but the kids were dressed up beautifully the waterfall from our hostel room - which, by the way, is only $5/person/night, and has hot water, a TV, and a private bathroom. The bed is saggy, but I think we´ll be ok. We´ll try to catch up with you all when we can in Cuenca!
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Meg
non-member comment
I can feel it!
Hey, guys! Your pics and descriptions are reminding me of past trips...I can feel the air in the picture from your hostel room. Have you seen any frogs yet? :) Gabi, how long was that bus ride? I think I would have gotten sick... Oh, and please don't eat the little guinea pigs. They're pets, for God's sake. :) Meg