Baños and Cuenca
Trip Start
Jan 12, 2008
1
9
21
Trip End
May 05, 2008
Cuenca,
Ecuador
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The ground trembled under my foot as I stepped off the bus at Baņos. My nose wrinkled at the sulphery smell from the volcano looming over the small town. The government had ordered the town evacuated in early February, but a few brave people stayed to cater to the small group of adventurers who came. Normally Baņos is a busy little tourist town, about the same size as Ketchikan, AK. But on this day there were only a few tourists walking down the streets. I left my pack at a hotel and ordered a steak for dinner. As the darkness fell, I could see the sullen red glow of the volcano. I was halfway through my dinner when I heard an enormous woof and then a loud bang. The ground shook as the volcano erupted! My table fell over, spilling my dinner to the floor, as I crawled out of the restaurant.
I ran down the street toward the bus station, staggering across the shaking ground
Downtown Baños
. Families fled with me, their backs laden with the few precious possessions they could carry. Even the children staggered under large bundles of clothing and other necessities. The air grew hotter as the fumes from the volcano rolled down the mountain to the terrified town. I fought for a last spot on the bus, clawing my way to a spot on top of the roof. There were at least 30 people hanging on top of the bus as it careened away from Baņos and slowly climbed up a mountain across the valley from the doomed town. Thank god I was safe for the moment, but all my gear was lost to the lava flowing down the mountain. Or at least that is what the government was worried about when they ordered the evacuation of Baņos. While it may have been prudent, the economy of the town was suffering because the tourists were told not to go there. While I was there the volcano smoldered and sent off large clouds of smoke, but there was no eruption or any signs of lava. The local church has paintings made in the 1700īs of the volcano erupting, so it has a long history. But baņos is still there - and there is an evacuation plan that is similar to my description. It would take about 15 minutes to reach a safe area on a nearby mountain.
Why I love Baņos
It is a small tourist town, easy to walk around, perfect for exploring
Volcano 1
. You can get a good meal for under $6. The weather was cool enough that I didnīt roast, but you also get some rainy cloudy weather this time of year. The mountains and waterfalls remind me of Alaska. The mountains are so green. Lots of excursions. Good for 2-4 days of fun.Bicycling
I spent one afternoon bicycling from Baņos to Rio Verde. It was a short 2 hour ride, by the side of the road. The scariest part was that I had to ride through one unlighted tunnel. I peddled in the darkness toward a distant oval spot of light, praying there were no potholes in the road. The other tunnels had a bypass route for bicycles. I met the three young men on a bridge. After talking with them in my broken Spanish, they asked me to take their picture. From the town of Rio Verde it is a short downhill walk to the Pailon del Diablo waterfall, one of the largest in Ecuador. There is a suspension bridge you walk out on to get the best view. In the evening I caught a truck back to Baņos.
Rafting
I also did a two hour rafting trip on the Rio Pastaza, a class 3 event
La Piscina de La Virgen
. It actually took six hours because we spent an hour riding to our drop off point, another hour back, and we had lunch. The blue raft had eight people from Belgium in it and two guides. My red raft had two people from Estonia, myself, and three guides. We had a great time. The river has a series of rapids and calm spots that allowed us to rest in between the excitement. I got the front position, which meant I ate about ten big waves that crashed in my face on the way down the river. This was one time I was glad to wear glasses as they shed the force of the water. If you take the full day trip you encounter some class 4 and 5 rapids in other parts of the river. The main guide showed his two apprentices how he could twirl the raft using just his paddle. But they still needed our muscle to move the raft across the river or through the rapids.Cuenca - Population 400,000 - Elevation 2530 meters
The bus ride to Cuenca takes 7 hours (10 hours from Quito). The ride is both beautiful and frightening. The mountains are steep and green with farm plots that go all the way up to the peaks. Oddly there are only fences in the flat lowlands, the mountain plots are divided by vegetation. Cows, sheep and horses graze on the lush grasses. The residents are indigenous natives
Me at Rio Verde
. The frightening part was the narrow road, steep climbs and descents, with the tire of the bus a foot away from a disastrous tumble down the mountain. The rain had caused several slides that were being cleared by backhoes. After slowly bumping over one dirt reconstruction our bus driver raced down the mountain, wildly passing slower cars and trucks, chasing another bus for ten minutes until with blaring horn our driver triumphantly passed his rival on a blind curve.
Cuenca seems a bit older and slower than Quito. There are lots of nice churches. Some museums which unfortunately have been closed. The streets are cobblestone. The sidewalks vary in their condition towards being pretty rough. There are several neat plazas. My hotel borders Plaza San Francisco, which unfortunately has been turned into a group of metal clad shacks for the local market. I would rather see some trees and flowers.
I have gone out clubbing over the weekend, getting in around two in the morning. The first night there was a lively band with a male and female vocalist. They gave a polished performance that had the crowd dancing. The second night there was a garage band, but full of energy. They got the crowd moving through their enthusiasm.
I am off to the Galapagos Islands next. I have to take a 10 night bus back to Quito, and I fly out of there.
