Banos

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When we arrived at Banos we were so happy to be here. A small town with nice people that is very safe. Our first day we went for a little hike up to the Virgen de Agua Santa. It had an amazing view of the city and was a nice introduction to amazing Banos. After our hike we went to schedule our first adventure which was river rafting.
The next day we woke up early and headed to the river in the Amazon jungle. Our guide was a very funny person and made our trip lots of fun. We couldn´t have gone on a better day because it was beautiful outside. At the very beginning of our trip we were practicing safety so the guide pushed me out of the boat right away. The water felt great. During our trip the guide liked to make it a little more challanging for us so he would go down the rapids side ways and run into rocks. Also he made us stand on the boat while going down the rapids. Needless to say we fell out of the boat a few times. During our trip we met a crazy Canadian who has lived in Banos for the past six months and he invited us to dinner at his house. He lived over 20 min walking distance away so to begin with we were a little hesitant. During dinner it was getting very dark and late and Eric and I were worried about how we were going to get home. On top of that the power went out and we had to cook burgers by candle light on a rusty grill. When it was time to leave it was a very good thing that the Canadian wanted to come back into town with us because the wild dogs patrolled the streets. We had to carry a stick the whole way home so we wouldn´t get attacked. It was a little scary.
The next day we went on an amazing hike. This hike took us to the top of the mountain where we found a beautiful cafe with a view of the whole city. During our hike we ran into a cow that did not want to let us pass. We then found a different path. On the mountain there were many houses that the people had to hike to the city and back daily.
Jungle day! We went on a full day trip into the Jungle. Our first stop was to visit the monkeys. In this part of the jungle there are many friendly monkeys that love to jump right on you and get close and personal. They were very cute and fun to be around. Next we went to visit a ancient tribe who still lives in huts in the jungle. It was very interesting to see their way of life. The children were snorkling for fish to catch with their hands. Our next stop was a canoe trip and lunch. The river was very low so during our canoe trip we were rocking back and forth and hitting rocks along the way. It was not a problem for the ancient wooden canoes though. A hike deep into the jungle was next. We spent two hours hiking and eating everything from ants to flowers. They all were natural remedies for the body. Our final destination was an amazing waterfall that we could swim under. It felt great in the humid weather.
It was then time to leave Banos and head to Cuenca. We both had a great time in this small city.

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Comments

[Jen Fuetsch]

Monkeys
Good thing you had these monkeys to play with to prepare you for those. We miss you a lot here too. Have the time of your life. Pictures will come soon!