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Published: January 7th 2012
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For xmas we travelled to the small town of Banos and it’s volcano Tungurahua. This is indeed an impressive volcano, mainly due to the fact that it erupted only two weeks before and is still spewing out clouds of smoke and ash. Your correspondent was forced to wash as the ash was settling on the town. I desperately wanted it to erupt again, something W found strange, but it would have been great to see.
Everywhere we have stayed in South America there has been an effusive welcome. By nature South Americans are amazingly friendly and very inquisitive. When a pair of gringos arrive at their hostal, they want to know all about you. This did not happen in Banos.
The hotel we stayed at was owned by Americans from Chigago and were easily the most miserable people we have come across. The couple were named Jim and Marsha. Jim is a M*A*S*H character and is obviously reliving many acid flashbacks which seem to distract him a lot, while she is living in a level of misery that only she can seem to enjoy, while the son who stands behind the reception desk (note I said stand – not
work) is clearly the most important person in Banos, at least in his own mind.
Our welcome, keeping in mind that it is xmas, consisted of a grunt of recognition from her and several huffs and puffs while she signed us in. The hotel was pleasant and had the greatest breakfasts that we have experienced but wouldn’t go back, although I probably shouldn’t after the big fire…
Anyway, Banos is a lovely little town surrounded on all sides by volcanoes and mountains. It has quite a relaxed feel, although you get accosted by tour operators who pounce on you like a thing that pounces as you walk past their shops. Wendy did book one excursion which we will get to after I have zipped through the following lines. Big clue there.
Your correspondent took his life in his hands once more, just to get a story for his dear readers. He climbed up a mountain and there it was. An erupting volcano !!! As still in the aftermath of it’s recent eruption, it looked like clouds surrounding the crater until you realise that it is smoke still getting pumped out. You could feel the heat coming off
it – well, you couldn’t really as we were about 4 km away, and on another mountain, and the wind was in the other direction, and there was no lava, and there was no risk to us at all, and there was no need to deploy the small puppy or kitten, but it did erupt recently !!!
Many restaurants were visited here, a mixture of local cooking and a great little Italian that we frequented. One night there, we watched as the owner cut circles on the side and front of a large decorated cardboard box. He explained that there was a parade of school children in fancy dress the next day, so we decided to get up early to go and have a look.
Indeed there was such a parade. Kids wearing all forms of xmas paraphernalia. There were Santas, xmas presents, xmas trees, shepherds, angels, wise men, camels and belly dancers. If someone can enlighten me to the previously unknown to me role of belly dancers in the xmas story, please let me know.
Most evenings we would be found in a local bar full of locals. We would sit and play cards or dominoes
and usually attracted the attention of the bar man or patrons who would come over to chat and ask how the games were played !!! Dominoes was a great crowd puller and we learnt that it is a game very popular in Cuba – am learning a lot on this trip.
Now to Wendy’s adventure. It sounded so dangerous, that I thought I would be safest in the bar drinking beer – so that is what I did. Here she is with her own words.
What G hasn’t mentioned is that Banos is a base for lots of extreme sports (so I took a risk taking him there!) However, as he said, he stayed in a bar while I went canopying (not to be confused with canyoning which is much more dangerous!). This involved being taken, with a Dutch girl and 2 Ecuadorians, up a mountain and left at a little hut where we were kitted out with a harness and a hard hat!
We then walked up the mountain for about 15 mins to the first of 6 zip slides (each becoming longer and higher as we progressed). The first one seemed reasonably “easy” and not
much bigger than the ones I did a few yeas ago at Go Ape!
Anyway, we were given instructions (in Spanish! Luckily I got the general idea!) and we went off individually (I went last). For this first one we just “sat” in the harness and zipped to the end – simple!
The next one the guides suggested we leaned back a bit more (so that we were sort of sideways on) – and zipped down a huge canyon – still fun!
By the third one, the guides had decided we should be more adventurous!!
So, we were instructed on how to do a “Superman”! This involved us each being assigned a guide who connected themselves to the wire and then us paying customers (yes, I paid to do this!!) stood in front of them facing away (linked to wire and guide). They grabbed our legs and we had to outstretch our arms and literally “fly” like Superman over the next canyon!!
It was exhilarating and I think I enjoyed this pose more than the others! However, worse was to come!
The next one (remembering these wires were getting higher and longer each time
– the final one was 1500 meters long) we were instructed on “The Butterfly”. Again, assigned a guide, we had to stand facing them, they grabbed our legs and we hung, upside down!!!!! This one was actually quite scary but I have a video reminder!
It was an amazing experience and a Xmas Eve treat that will be hard to beat next year!
Am sure the more sane amongst my dear readers will agree that this is lunacy !!!
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Taffy
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High flying banos
Well done Gordon, we didnt even nag this time! I have already had heart failure watching superwendy do the butterfly! x