Gala Hotel Banos

... which made it all the more interesting! Luckily, most of our cycle was downhill - but there were some terror moments; we had to cycle through one tunnel which was completely pitch black (on a busy main road, and of course we had no lights...), then when lights appeared behind us we had to pray the car could see us... it was complete terror for a few minutes... thankfully we were saved from the other 4 tunnels on the journey by a separate path for ...

... transport. Definately the best $40 I have ever spent!!! It was SO much fun and the scenery amazing. However it was a tad scary in places especially when the boat over turned and we were all in the drink. I managed to get my foot stuck in some rocks and sprain my big toe badly, I`m hobling about with my growing backpack, must be a sight.<br><br>I met a Brazilan couple who are travelling for 18 ...

... and a canoe trip between camps. Unfortuantely the billed night hikes (perhaps just as well), fishing trips, meeting the Shaman (my he´s Ebeneezer Goode" jibes were lost on the 21 year old Israelis), dart blowing failed to materialise.<br><br>Apparently the Shaman is 69 years old, has 7 wives and 14 children and advises most Western women he meets to play with his snake as a cure for all ills!<br><br>After getting back to Ba ...

... a good nights sleep and breakfast, and full of eagerness to turn ourselves into prunes, we made our way to the "Virgin Baths" (just how restorative were these baths going to be?!) located at the bottom of a tall waterfall. It was a fantastic location, and, once we were secure that large sun burnt Germans hadn`t invaded the area (a poor choice of words there perhaps) we made our way in and began to soak in each of the three pools of varying temperatures ...

... salubrious Don Diego hostel (again harangued into following someone) in Banos for the night. Don Diego had cable TV (yay!) but bedclothes that smelt of cheese (boo!). We said adios to Don Diego the next day.<br><br>So here we are in Banos for the week. The fact that it sits on the site of Tungurahua, Ecuador's largest volcano was the attraction for Peter. The fact that it's famous for its hot springs and being a spa town convinced me to commit a week to it. He hasn't found any ...

... My legs were knackered and my lack of fitness was shown up!<br>The ride was pretty enjoyable, through a lush valley with waterfalls of different sizes the whole way along. There was one big mother waterfall we stopped at and hiked to. I got absolutely soaked because you could pay $1 to go to this viewing platform right near the waterfall. You could see and hear the power from the waterfall, and I got myself and my camera absolutely soaked. Im lucky the camera isnt ...

... claws still outstretched in one final, futile grasp towards freedom. The meat was delicious. It tasted like chicken (of course), but more tender and juicy. From what I hear, cuy is popular in Peru as well, so hopefully we´ll see more in the coming weeks.<br> After devouring the communal cuy, we headed off to the famous hot springs of Baños. Heated by the active volcano next door (active as in caused Baños to be evacuated in 1999) and filled by waterfalls, the baths ...

... we were right at the base of a mountain underneath a little waterfall so the atmos made up for everything.<br><br>Late afternoon was back on a bus to Quito to wash, re-pack and get ready for our Amazon trip this week. I don´t think there are internet services where I´m going so you probably won´t hear from me in a little while, but I will make sure I touch base again by sending a good summary blog upon my return<br><br>Take care<br><br>Vanessa<br>

... half hours. We checked into our hostel and went for quick bite to eat before hitting the sack again-bus journies can be so tiring like.<br>So we had 3 full days in Banos, Monday - Wednesday and were going to leave for Quito (the capital) on Thursday.<br>We decided we would use Banos for more relaxation again-its a small town but has alot to offer as many hikes, waterfall, mountain bikes etc to hire out. We sussed out the place on Monday and ate in a lovely ...

... which I had originally crossed the stream. But up a short rise on the far bank the thick woods gave way to what appeared to be a clearing, so I clambered up to investigate, and found myself in a field that I was greatly relieved to recognise! From there it was relatively plain sailing retracing my steps back down the mountain. In the next field I came to I met a local who was up in his fields tending his cows; I asked him where I was, on the hiking map I had with me ...