Our first day in Baños we biked on a 15 mile mountain route called Ruta de las Cascadas (or Route of the Waterfalls), which parallels the highway between Baños and Puyo. We saw five major waterfalls, and many smaller ones. The route was almost entirely down-hill, which was a blessing for me, as I do not think I would have made it 15 miles had the route headed in the opposite direction. I had forgotten about how much I liked biking when I was younger, and this trip rekindled my desire to buy a bike when I am back in the States. We hitchhiked back up the mountain, which is so common in Ecuador it is not as dangerous as it is in the States.
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| Biking |
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| Hanging footbridge we crossed to see El Pailon del Diablo |
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| El Pailon del Diablo Waterfall |
That night we were both exhausted and didn't do much. We walked around Baños and ate at an Asador (grill) where I introduced Eric to the wonders of Chimichuri, a green sauce used in Ecuadorian grilling.
The next day we went Canyoning (repelling down waterfalls). Our guia, Carlos, took us to a site where we repelled down two 20 - 30 foot waterfalls, slid on our butts down a 15 foot waterfall, and then repelled again down a 120 foot waterfall. Although to be honest, I don't know that I can accurately say we repelled down the last waterfall. The wall of it was concave, and the action was more like falling each time more of the rope was released. It was scary and invigorating at the same time. I was more scared, and less sure of myself, than Eric, but we both had fun. Afterwards we were given anise tea to warm up while we waited for the taxi to come pick us up. The tour company we went with gave us a CD of photos of us canyoning, but Eric has it and he has yet to send me any photos.
That night we intended to go check out the hot springs, but unfortunately I misread the sign, and the day-time prices were less than the night time prices, and neither of us brought enough money to pay the night time entrance fee. So instead I insisted that Eric try Canelazo, a traditional hot drink from the mountain region made with sugar-cane alcohol (Zhumir), naranjilla (a type of fruit), sugar, and Cinnamon. He did not like it. To be fair, drinking anything with sugar-cane alcohol is a lot like drinking a mixed drink made with the cheapest vodka you can find. Canelazo has grown on me, however, and I now thoroughly enjoy it.
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| Naranjilla fruit (used to make Canelazo) |
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| Canelazo |
The next day we took the 8 hour bus ride back to Cuenca. We had a little trouble, however, starting with the fact that I over slept so we missed breakfast. Then at 8:50 a.m., when we brought our bus tickets for an 8:45 a.m. bus which was running late. When a bus from the company we bought our tickets from pulled into the terminal, we got on it. I immediately put in my headphones and began to veg out, but thankfully Eric was paying attention because it turns out that bus was headed to Puyo (which is in the opposite direction). We got off that bus after about 5 minutes, and then we ran back to the bus station. Apparently we had gotten on the 9:15 bus, but unfortunately, our bus had already left. I thankfully convinced the attendant to change our tickets without charge, and we caught the 11:00 bus. Eric, who has always been more "type A" than I am, (even before living in South America) was completely stressed out about this. I was not. I think I have made enough mistakes in this country to have become comfortable with the idea that I will always make mistakes. I also have come to learn that, one way or another, things work out.
Being with Eric was great. It also gave me perspective on how much I have grown during this year. For one thing, I can tell that I have become more relaxed and have an easier time not stressing out about things out of my control.
