Ecuador

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Can't believe we thought about skipping Ecuador, so glad we didn't 😊
What was supposed to be only a short stop between Peru and Colombia, turned out to be an amazing and fun place to visit.

13th February to....

Another long 30h bus ride took to us from Lima to the beautiful city of Guayaquil. We arrived late and where to exhausted to cook so we ended in a Jewish fast food restaurant and had some delicious falafels. So far so good 😉
Had a private free walking tour the next day as we where the only two participater. Learned a lot about the history of the city, which included pirates and burning churches. Had to walk 444 steps to a viewpoint but where rewarded with a great view. Chilled out in the hostel pool after the hot day. As it was Valentine's day we followed the rule and went out for dinner, and had again some traditional Ecuadorian food, sushi 😉

Due to an advice we decided to give Baños a try and we were not disappoint at all. Our fist day was dedicated to the famous swing on top of the hill, where you are supposed to have a great view of the volcano, which we would have seen if it wouldn't have been rainy and cloudy. Hitchhiked down as we couldn't find the trail. Luckily there is always a pick up truck willing to help some lost tourists.
Booked a day trip to the Jungle without knowing what to expect but again weren't disappointed. Or better said we had an incredible day.
Started with visiting an animal shelter, with pumas, leopards, parrots and monkeys. The next shop was at the river for a canoe ride. During the ride it was raining a lot, but what else to expect in the rainforest 😊
But still didn't rain enough to fill the river as it's used to be, and got stuck several time between stones and the driver and to jump down to push the canoe. Was fun with a great view. Arrived totally soaked but happy. After lunch we hiked to a waterfall where we took the opportunity for a small and refreshing swim. Our guide asked if it was colder than the Aare and well it was a bit warmer. After that we stopped in an Indio Village, where we got our faces painted, watched a traditional dance and tried some Indio hunting weapon, before visiting the giftshop 😉

The day after we took the bus to see a waterfall near by. Unfortunately it was not so sunny and warm that day to take a waterfall shover like Iguazu but it is still quite an experience climbing up the small and narrow way. Had lunch in a local restaurant and ordered the biggest empanadas we had so far.

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