Tungurahua....towering over town...
Trip Start
Jan 04, 2008
1
31
34
Trip End
Apr 08, 2008
Banos,
Ecuador
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The night continues as a series of contiguous but totally unrelated events. There are the taffy makers on the street, pulling taffy with their hands - no sanitary gloves or anything - but when they give us a hunk to try, we gobble it down like it doesn't have every germ from under their fingernails in its stickiness. There's all sorts of cool stuff to buy here and we do our part, but then work up such a hunger we have to have a meat on a stick appetizer in the night market, which consists solely of chicken bones, fat, and skin and some unidentifiable parts....I swear there was no meat on mine. But I slurp down the salty tasting crunchy outerwear...only makes me crave real chicken for dinner.....we find a chicken place and split a half of a bird. And then as we're finishing, the old street guy playing some random notes on his Andean flute comes by - and he plays the thing about as well as I do - we end up giving him the rest of our chicken and spoon the leftover rice into his greasy little plastic bag he pulls from his pocket. Glad to put the leftovers up to good use.
We head out into the crowded streets...buy a few Virgins and saints at the religious tiendas that line the streets around the church. And then we find out the Resurrection Mass starts in 15 minutes. Of course after my Resurrection experience at Tierra Santa, I really want to check out this mass. I have visions of a full choir singing the Allelujahs and a model larger-than-life Jesus rising up into the sky. So we squeeze into a pew, it's jammed crowded, the lights go down and the service starts....no Allelujahs, no rising....just candles and that call and response singing. Some woman in red is persistently squeezing me out of my space, so I decide to give it up to her. We leave just in time to catch the Barney mobile that's cruising by in the streets. It's this exceedingly long multi-carred vehicle that snakes around town in the name of a city tour. It's wildly painted like a Flintstones vehicle with flashing lights and loud salsa music. Great ride...the thing serpentines thru the streets and, in one wide intersection, starts going in circles, following its tail, whipping all the riders around. Fun in the streets of Banos.
I'm tired now, no more money, too much chicken (thirsty beyond belief from its saltiness), Lisa's still shopping... time to call it a day. This town is pretty cool, opportunities for canyoning (I'll explain that later), white water rafting, checking out the active volcano (with a disco-stop included), to renting big sort of go-kart to drive around in - an option that's tempting us at the moment. Lots to do here...may have to stay a few extra days to get it all in....
Comments
Another great entry, one of many.
Karen,
Loving your descriptions & colorful commentary.
Sounds like a wonderful, enlightening time. Be safe & keep learning. Renee