Banos

• 2taylors's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Banos

Trip Start Jan 25, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Jun 01, 2008 Next
Entry

  Banos, Banos, Ecuador
Sunday, May 11, 2008

We caught a bus from Guayaquil to Banos and experience our first ecuadorian bus ride!  As soon as we were out of the city the bus driver stepped on the peddel and we were hurtling down the roads, trying to overtake on the wrongside of the road and then slamming on the brakes as a car came the other way.  As we were hanging on for dear life in our seats the conductor was hanging out the open doors shouting out destinations and every ten minutes or so the bus would stop (although it was more like slow down) for  passengers to jump (literally) on and the bus soon filled up and the isle was always crammed with snack sellers, half a dozen seeming to get on and off each time the bus slowed not to mention the Ecuadorian dell boys flogging dvds and chinese herbal medicianes!  We were on the bus forever as it went via Riobamba to Ambata, as we neared Ambata we started to get confused as we passed a couple of Banos turnoffs and seemed to be heading in the opposite direction.  We attempted to ask the bus conductor if we were going to Banos and he garbled something back in Spanish about an "otre bus" so we decided to sit tight until we realised we were the only people left on the bus.  Seeing our nervous looks the bus conductor tried to reassure us by garbling something in Spanish at us while we replied we our stock response "no entiendo".  The conductor then proceeded to jump off the bus and trying to flag down other buses and when this was unsucessful he montioned for us to grab our bags and follow him so we got off the bus and ran after him down the streets of Amabato until we arrived at some other bus station and he paid us onto a different bus which was absolutely crammed and half an hour later we were finally in Banos!  We checked into the Hostel Carolina with bano privado and cable tea for $5 and then went to Casa Hood for the most amazing banana curry and happy hour cocktails!

The next morning we got up early and hired bikes with the intention of riding all the way to jungle town Puyo as suggested in the Lonely Planet to see the waterfalls on the way.  Our early start advantage was quickly lost when half an hour out of town (downhill) we realised weīd forgotten our passports which we needed for a security checkpoint along the way.   As it was uphill "we" made the decision it would be quicker if just Neil went back for them while Katie waited in the sunshine! When a slightly sweaty Neil returned we set off again and shortly after hit a tunnel, there was no way round so we had to cycle through in the pitch black with no bike lights - Katie screamed the whole way through!

Just before lunchtime we hit the Devils throat, which is the most spectacular of the waterfalls and ended up being directed by the locals down a path where we met a rather strange Canadian hippy who spent several minutes talking to us about what was in our hearts and heads, the evils and goodness in the world and something about the Queen and Tea - to be honest we only understood half of what he said even though he was speaking English.  We paid the $1 he was charging for his garden and waterfall viewing plaforms and had a rather pleasant stroll around.  He did offer to discount us the $1 entrance fee if I was a mother or if we couldnīt afford it but we said it wasnīt likely to break the bank!

We had lunch at a little cafe by the top of the waterfall and  a beer with a couple we kept seeing on the way who had ordered iced tea but had a lost in translation moment and ended up with grande cervezas.  Then set off again and riding through a few small villages before the rain came and along with the rain a number of uphill climbs. Katieīs legs began to turn to jelly and she got off and pushed it up one hill only to be met by the sight of an even bigger hill coming up next.  It was half four when we finally rocked up to the village of Mera and decided to give up making it to Puyo (which was still a good 20k away) so we flagged down a bus, put the bikes on top and heading back to Banos for a well deserved steak supper.

That night we booked a tour to see the volcano which is still active and overshadows Banos.  We were lured by photos of red lava spilling out the top and though we were warned they were taken a few years ago when it was far more active we didnīt have much to lose as the tour only cost $3 each.  We got picked up by what can only be described as a brightly painting milk truck and were driven to the viewpoint where we got a nice view of Banos from above but couldnt see squat as far as the volcano was concerned.   Although we could hear it rumbling away and we kept warm with a free hot tequila and a fire which one of the locals insisted on dousing with white spirits so we though we might lose our eyebrows so it wasnīt all bad.

The next day we got up early and had enormous fruit pancakes for breakfast before hitting the thermal baths which Banos is famous for and had a good long soak with a beautiful waterfall as a backdrop beofre catching our bus to Tena.

Print this entry Share

Previous Entry Next Entry