Bonito Baños

I just got back from my trip to Baños!

Note: This is an incredibly long entry. If you are as ADD as I am, skip to the recap at the bottom. If you love me, read my ramblings.

Baños is a town in the 'central sierra' of Ecuador, at an altitude significantly lower than Quito (so I could actually do physical activity without fainting) but not so low that mosquito-associated diseases are a risk (MALARIA, etc.)

We (me, Susie and Jessica [from Beloit], Johnny, Theresa and Miriam) met around 12:30 at a bus terminal near my house and got in cabs to go to the central bus terminal for buses to other parts of the country (or international-bound). There was a lot of traffic and we had to wait for a bus so we didn't end up leaving until 2:30.

Buses here are... interesting. I've already told you about the insane driving of Quito's city buses, but regional are entirely different. You can get a seat if you get there early enough, but as the bus is on its route, it will continue to pick up passengers who want to get on until it would be impossible to squeeze another body onto the veichle. Even if you're sitting it can get a bit uncomfortable as people end up leaning on you, holding your arm rest, etc. Also, apparently gringas are a site that some Ecuadorians have never seen before, as Susie and I got incredibly unnecessary attention on the bus. First there was a guy who was sitting right in front of us (not on a seat; in the front of the buses there is this raised bump you can sit on... it's weird) and would NOT stop staring at us, and looking at her when she was talking. It was annoying. I kept staring at him, hoping he would get the message to stop being a creep, but he didn't. Susie said to me "I hate when people stare. I hope he understands" but he either didn't speak English or had a good poker face. He left, and an indigena woman got on and took his place, staring, staring, staring; smiling, smiling, smiling. I like when people smile at me, but not for ten minutes straight.

Anyway, we got there, went to the hostel where we'd made reservations- Susie and I had a room and the other four were sharing- and went out to dinner at this great place where I had an appetizer of toasted bread with cheese and tomato (DELICIOSO) and a glass of wine for super cheap, as well as pad thai, which wasn't really pad thai but still yummy noodles. Then we went on this "volcano ride-" a $3 bus trip into the mountains where they drop you off, you walk ten minutes into the woods to see a "volcano?" There was no volcano! But there were firethrowers and a beautiful overlook into the city, so I wasn't disappointed.

But the ride was amazing. It was all through the mountains, and halfway through the driver let us climb on the top of the bus (where there were seats and a guard rail-barely). The corners were kind of tight, and the wind was whipping through our hair, and it was so beautiful to see the landscape at night.

We came back and went to bed because we had early plans for the next morning. A group of about a dozen of us from the university (who were all staying in the same hostel, coincidentally) were doing a bike tour 20 or 30 km through the mountains to Rio Verde, which is- surprise- a green river and huge waterfall. This bike ride was probably the best thing I've done here yet. We started out whizzing through the city and took off into the mountains quite quickly. We went through one tunnel where, I kid you not, you could see nothing. Absolutely pitch black. I was maybe fourth in line (not really a line, though) and I had no idea where the people were in front of me. I couldn't see the sides of the tunnel either, so I was just hoping that I was staying straight enough to not whirl into a wall. We were all fine.

It was mostly a downhill descent although there were a couple of medium hills which were hard on me because I can't remember the last time I was on a bike, and whenever I moved it down a gear, it got harder! So I suffered through them but it wasn't that bad, a good workout. Wherever we were there was an amazing view of waterfalls or rivers or valleys and of course the green hills that surrounded us. We stopped more than once to take pictures.

Then we got there and hiked down really far to see a huge waterfall. After all the bike riding my legs were really weak and it was actually incredibly hard to hike down after I hadn't stood much for hours. My legs were like jelly and I think the guide was worried so I said "estoy bien, es dificil bajar despues de las bicis!" The waterfall was beautiful however the hike back up was not; it was rough.

The whole group ate lunch together then we PILED into the back of a truck (twelve people and twelve bikes...) for the ride back to Quito (it is really too hilly to ride back, at least for normal tourists!) Then five or six of us rented quadrones, or four-wheelers... oh my god, so much fun. I don't think I had been on one since camp in 6th grade. We had to start out in the city which was CRAZY and it feels like it's really hard to turn so I'm on this huge quad in city traffic laughing my ass off trying not to get hit by cars. We went out into the countryside and saw some beautiful canyons... it was so much fun.

After that we relaxed, had dinner at a cozy cafe with lots of international food (and a generous happy hour) then Susie and I went to the baños- of course a city named Baños has natural baths! These are the only hot ones, conveniently 2 minutes from our hostel, which was so nice after a day of biking. They weren't too hot but felt really good. The water is a murky green, not because it's dirty but because of the high mineral content which some believe even helps stomach and liver ailments! It was a little awkward because the baños were very crowded and we were two of maybe (literally) five gringos there, but it's all good.

We got dressed to go out, which was a bust, because an Ecuadorian guy I met through a friend had told us to meet him at this place in half an hour, then he called and said he was driving to another town and couldn't come? I don't know, it was strange. But the place ended up being a discotec, and Susie and I had no energy so the other two girls went and we went home and slept (she was getting up early for another adventure, and I was tired and wanted to save money).

In the morning I had breakfast with everyone at the hostel restaurant- $3 for coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice, an amazing piece of super moist bread, butter and two kinds of jelly, eggs and two other little breads. I read this morning and then got the first massage of my life! It was great. I am very ticklish so some of the time I was just lying there trying not to laugh, so I don't think I "lost myself" as much as massages are designed to do, but it was very good. A bit painful, but good!

We had lunch at a new place before getting on the bus back to Quito and I split a cab with Susie and Jess because we live more or less in the same area. I just had dinner with my host mom (it is her birthday!) and now need to prepare for a Model UN presentation I am a bit stressed about. I do not like giving presentations. At least it is in English, so I am superior in that aspect to everyone else... heh. Also, I haven't showered since Friday morning.

SO, RECAP: In the last 60 hours I took two 3.5 hour bus rides, went on a nighttime busride zipping through the mountains on the top of a bus, went biking for hours, hiked down to and up from a waterfall, drove on four-wheelers (quadrones), sat in the famous hot baths-aguas termales- had my first massage and explored a cute little town.

All without showering.

Maybe I should get on that.

Love to you all!