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Published: April 21st 2007
Baños Motorcycle Ride
Volcan Tungurahua goes POOF over the city of Baños. My view from the back seat of the motorcycle. Not to shabby! Hello all-
We are alive and well in Riobamba, Ecuador in the northern Andes. Actually "well" could be an overstatement at the moment, as we just returned from our first and only bull fight. Not exactly the display of machismo one might expect, as the bull can hardly stand when the "brave" Matador enters the ring. Much to our excitement, one of the injured bulls still managed to pummel his aggressor before finally meeting his maker. We couldn't help root for the bull, but were obviously disappointed as the odds were stacked highly against him. It was truly a ONCE in a lifetime experience.
With the exception of the aforementioned, our trip to date has been unbeatable. We spent 6 sunny hours in Miami on a layover and arrived in Quito the evening of 4/17. While in Quito we stayed at a very friendly hotel in the "new town", which was full of great restaurants & bars. Quito was home for three days, and provided an excellent location from which to explore northern Ecuador, and the city itself. Highlights of the region included the colonial district of Quito, many different churches, the textile market 2 hours north in
Otavalo Market
A colorful market expierence, and great deals! Otavalo, and the monument at the equator.
From Quito, we traveled south by bus to the small town of Baños named after the numerous thermal baths throughout the city. Baños was an adventure simply to visit, as it is located at the base of an active volcano and the entire area has been on "yellow alert" since the forced evacuation in 1999. Silver and I rented a motorcycle one afternoon and rode up a mountain on the opposite side of the valley. The clouds broke just long enough for us to get a view of the volcano coughing up huge bursts of steam & ash. The scenery was amazing, and we both fell in love with the area. Nonetheless, our departure was a mix of sadness & partial relief.
Our current location, Riobamba, is a fairly large city and there is some sort of festival going on. The streets have been packed since we arrived this afternoon, and it doesn't look like people will be going to sleep anytime soon. We are staying in a nice hotel right next door to this internet cafe, and plan to leave by train in the morning. We will continue south to
Cuenca (another Spanish colonial city), and then cross the border into Peru, where we plan to spend a couple of days relaxing on the beach. Then it´s into the jungle of Iquitos down the Amazon River, followed by Cuzco, MachuPichu, Lake Titicaca, and Bolivia.
We will try to squeeze in another internet session within a week or so. Until then, Buenos noches amigos...
Please beware that Silver did a VERY good job uploading photos, there are a few pages for your viewing pleasure.
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shmerica
erica connelly
Happy Birthday Pablo!
Wow! You guys are movin' and a groovin' already. Miami on you your "Man Day" eh? I heard there some of the most beautiful babes (gals and guys) are there and they leave little to the imagination on the beach. Staddling the equator... very cool... sun must be a scorcher there!? Although it looked a bit rainy-- how's the weather treating you? Hot? Humid? Cool? Breezy? Good times! Good times! Great pix and grrreat blog! Oh, and I thought those sherpa hats were very cute!