Had a great night sleep to the sound of the swollen Rio Pastaza roaring in the background. We walked the 2km into town and spent an hour or so exploring its centre. I think it’s clear you don’t come to Baños to experience the architectural wonders of the town. It’s all about outdoor adventures.
In the afternoon we got a $10 taxi to the Casa Del Arbol at the top of the mountain above Baños. It’s area is renown for the many swings perched on the edge of cliffs, giving you spectacular views of the area while swinging. Deryn enjoyed it more than I did as it made me feel a bit sick. FFS – getting older is pain! We also had a cursory go on the flying fox before starting the walk down.
The walk entailed a couple of kms on the road before heading off into a very steep muddy path down the mountain. It was hard going but quite spectacular views of Baños and the very rural environment made it worthwhile. The 10km walk took us 90min. We grabbed an early meal at a steak house – chicken for me and fish for Deryn. We then headed to the local hot pools at the base of the Cascade Cabellera de la Virgen Falls (someone saw the Virgin Mary there a few years back). $2 entry fee and another $1 to ‘rent’ a head cap. We were told to shower before getting in the pool by a stern matron who was immediately obeyed. The first pool was hot spa temp but the second one was considerably hotter. I loved it while Dits found it a tad too hot. I then jumped into the cold plunge pool which to say was invigorating would be an understatement. However the hot pool after that was a breeze.
We both felt amazing afterwards and agreed it needed to be a nightly occurrence. Dits unfortunately was hit by the Ecuadorian tummy bug in the middle of the night. Now being fhe champion she is, she agreed to go ahead with our planned biking trip along south of Banos to all the waterfalls, fishing at the Pailon Del Diablo (Devil’s cauldron) The waterfalls were not bad – certainly a lot of them – but even more impressive were the number of zip lines running across the valley. We counted at least 10 – some of them look decidedly dodgy so given Dits was not feeling well, we decided to give them a go next time we passed by.
It was a 12 km to Pailon Del Diablo, the best bits of the road were on the old road that bypassed the single lane tunnels in which bikes were not allowed. It was cobblestoned with amazing views as it snaked along the mountainside. There were 2 entrances to the falls – Dits and I went down one and I then did the other by myself as Dits was fading fast. We grabbed a truck back to our hostel – they line up like taxis outside of the falls and for $12 (can fit 6 bikes) they take you the 12km back to Banos. As there was only Deryn and myself we had to pay the full $12.
The next couple of days were spent doing very little while we waited for Deryn to recover. Plenty of reading and sleep. We headed into town a few times to grab some food, headed back to the hot baths and booked our canyoning trip. Deryn thankfully had recovered in time for my birthday so we found a cool bar in town and got on it. Felt very, very old the next day.
Unfortunately it rained for our last 3 days in Banos so all our planned outdoor activities were canned. We were up early for our canyoning so when it was cancelled decided to walk to the other side of town to the Balneario El Salado hot baths. It was a fair hike but worth it in the end. It was nice and quiet when we arrived but after an hour the hordes of arriving school kids soon had us on our way. A quick scan of the local cemetery and then lovely meal at a Rasta Vege joint before heading back to La Casa Verde for our last evening in this cool little town.
And then there was this tail..
Deryn, I always knew you as a strong woman!! Wishing you a speedy recovery. Guys, what an adventure!! Td