Advertisement
Published: June 22nd 2013
We spent almost two days in Baños which is an amazing little town where you can see waterfalls, lush forests, a steep gorge, and is perfect for outdoor adventurers. Arriving in Baños, we each picked from a nearly endless list of things to do: paragliding, rafting, canyoning, thermal spas/massages, ziplining, etc. I decided to start off with a hike which ended up being a very steep climb to the top of a mountain. I got some great views from the top and felt a sense of accomplishment but was exhausted by the time I got down!
From there I headed over to a motorbike shop to rent a 4-wheeler for a few hours. With an "assurance" of safety, a 5 min tutorial of the bike and a 10 min explanation of where to go with a map, I headed out of town on my own. It was pretty exhilarating and slightly stressful to be out there on the roads with buses and trucks passing me by!! Once I determined I was on the right path/road, I had 5 tunnels to either go through, avoid, or get around. Luckily there was a nice little path to the side for me and
other bicyclists. I finally got to my destination - el Diablo del Pailon - which was a thundering waterfall with suspension bridges and trails and paths to get down either behind or below the waterfalls. I was in heaven! I left early since I didn't want to be on the road at night and I pretty much hauled butt back to Baños! My heart was pounding as I went back through the tunnels and luckily, there weren't any cars. As anxious as I was, the road was a major cycling path and I felt good seeing others out there. Back in town I figured out how to get back to the shop and met up with my group for dinner. As they talked about massages and spas, I was proud that I had pushed myself to be adventurous and experience just that much more of the world! 😊 Without a doubt, I have been able to experience so much more of Ecuador by being able to speak Spanish. The next day I took it easy in the morning and went to watch some of the group "bungee swing" from a bridge above a gorge. As they were finishing, it was
Just took the helmet off for a photo!time for me to be picked up for a canopy/zipline adventure. WOW! Instead of sitting up straight, they laid you down in a sling and off you went up to 70mph through the rocks of the canyon!! From there we had to walk across this foot bridge high above the water followed by a climb back up the gorge - which I actually found pretty scary! Ziplining back was a rush and I was nothing but smiles. 😊 Leaving Baños we headed down to Cuenca with a stop off at some Incan Ruins. As always, it was really neat with incredible history. That was a long day of travel and we spent about 12 hours on the road. Cuenca was a cute town with several things to do and see. First we visited a Panama Hat factory (yes, Panama Hats are actually from Ecuador!), and then I walked around for hours... This morning, another girl and I took a Taxi about 45 min out to Cajas National Park. It was actually a different landscape than what we have been seeing. It was certainly worth the morning visit and then we flew back to Quito. Tomorrow we head north!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.12s; Tpl: 0.033s; cc: 10; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0605s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.1mb
Kathy
non-member comment
Adventures
Fantastic, different adventures from what you've done before! I'm anxious to hear more details. I can't believe you did all those things and are safe and sound. See you soon. Love, MOM