Banos

I arrived to Quito from Banos this afternoon. The bus ride back was less eventful and much faster than the bus ride there, which was nice.

Banos was incredible, I had one of the best days of the trip so far yesterday. For the first time I actually fit in a bed, a Queen size! I slept great and woke up to the sound of the waterfall outside my window. Then went for my complimentary breakfast, which was the best of the trip. It consisted of cheese, fruit salad, yogurt, granola, three different kinds of bread, papaya honey, delicious coffee, and fresh blackberry juice. I actually did not eat again until dinnertime (except for the necessary midday ice cream). In deciding what to do with my one full day in Banos I had many options, there is canyoning, white water rafting, horseback riding, etc. The option I went with though was mountain biking, yet again. I could not pass up the Rutas de Cascadas, Route of the Waterfalls. It is a 22 km ride which takes you through the valley past spectacular waterfalls.

I went alone, which ended up being fantastic. It is supposedly a popular activity, but there were very few gringos in town due to the threat of the volcano. It seems as though the Ecuadorian visitors like to chill out in town more than explore. So, that being said, until I reached Rio Verde, the last waterfall of the day, I was the only biker on the route. To view many of the waterfalls you have to lock your bike up and hike down trails. The trails were spectacular with all sorts of flowers blooming around them. It was a near spiritual experience being on these trails all alone with spectacular scenery and the thundering of magnificent waterfalls. At one point you can take, which I did, a long cable car ride from one end of the gorge to the other. At the opposite end is a huge waterfall, one of my favorites. You see waterfalls all around, and even bike through a couple. Also, along the way you pass through some small villages. The children always seemed to get excited to see me coming through.

Once I reached Rio Verde it was necessary for yet another hike to get to El Diablo waterfall. This is a monstrous, fast, loud waterfall. On the hike I ran into a large family. I stopped as one of the guys was taking a video, and then he turned it on me! I said a few words in Spanish, then he began talking to me. I was doing alright, but I still get tripped up a little. A 10 year old kid on the trip, seeing me struggle, all of sudden says, Where are you from? I was shocked to hear this because I thought the family was Ecuadorian. It actually was an Ecuadorian family and their cousins from New Jersey. This reminded me a lot of my family getting together on trips with Meltzers. They were a lot of fun and we continued the hike together. The guy kept wanting me to get in pictures with the family, which I thought was funny. I think he liked me because when he asked why I came to Ecuador I responded because of the beautiful scenery and friendly people.

After a long bike ride and a lot of hiking during the day, there really is no better way to wind down at dusk than to relax in a hot spring under a waterfall. And again, for the second night in a row, I was the only gringo in the springs. That night I went to try and view the volcano, which I knew was hopeless due to the clouds (but it had to be attempted). As I suspected, nothing. It would have been a great end to a great day to see something, but it did not dampen my spirits as I knew I had a big comfortable bed and a delicious breakfast to look forward to!

I was a little sad to leave Banos so soon, I definitely could spend much more time there. But of course, the Galapagos beckons! Tomorrow morning I am off for 8 days in the Galapagos. That means, unless you want to keep reading the same post, do not worry about checking the blog for the next week.

Cotopaxi, outside of Quito

Monkey on one of the trails on the Ruta Cascadas

Waterfall

Me and the family I met