Banos

Trip Start Dec 26, 2005
1
195
285
Trip End Jan 25, 2009


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Flag of Ecuador  ,
Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Steve Irwinīs death has received considerable coverage here in Ecuador... what a significant loss to Australiaīs tourism industry and Australia in general. I can just imagine the sadness being witnessed there. On arrival in Banos, as soon as we walked into a restaurant, the TV channel was reporting his death. The Ecuadorian and Peruvians Iīve met so far are well and truly aware of this great figure. I read a recent article of how much Australian children are being affected by this loss. He was an amazing figure and I canīt imagine what our country will be without him. RIP Steve.

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Today we travelled from Quito to Banos on public transport. The trip took about 6 hours, and I sat next to a local Ecuadorian who spoke no English. The trip was fairly comfortable.

Banos is an incredible town, surrounded by lush, green mountains offering an abundance of outdoor activities. Its hot springs are cherished by Ecuqdorian and foreign visitors alike. Behind Banos sits Volcan Tungurahua, which began erupting in October 1999 and erupted as recently as the 16th August this year. Yes, it was an incredible risk visiting this city but the risk has been downgraded to yellow alert which means a low risk of re-erupting. It was very eery, and exciting to be at the base of the volcano which could have erupted again! Luckily, we were only there for 2 nights and escaped unscathed. On arrival into Banos, we observed ash coverage over a significant area with houses in total ruins.

On the second day of visiting this city, I did another first and went white water rafting. Talk about an exhillerating experience, and another highlight of my trip this year. I did this with four other girls... Claire, Jill, Sasha and Rebecca from the other group. The rafting was rated as being between level 3 and 5... and we sure felt it. Most flattering (not) was being dressed in wet body suits. Hopefully I can get a photo off Sasha. We were bobbing up and down like maniacs on raging torrents. But... we didnīt fall in once. There was another group of 5 Ecuadorian guys who were whistling to the girls and singing love songs. They fell in 4 times. From what Iīve seen so far, I love South Americanīs sense of fun. They love to party, flirt and have a good time. We were on the river for about 2 hours. Our guide was a lot of fun, but scared us a few times with mentioning that there were piranhas in the river! I loved this experience... maybe a new interest... definitely addictive. Can highly recommend it to anyone reading this. Scott, I hope your PE studies over the next two years provide you with access to these outdoor activities!

On the 7th September, we spent 9 long hours cramped in a small van in travelling to one of Ecuadorīs best cities... Cuenca. This tour is full on and Iīm loving it so far, bar the extensive travelling days.

Iīm really enjoying our leader, Julio who is proving to be a lot of fun. More later...
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