Baños-- October 9

Since Monday was Guayaquil Independence Day, we had a three day weekend. We took that time to visit Baños, a town in the Sierra known for high-adventure outdoor sports like zip lining, puenting (bungee jumping), biking, swinging over a ledge, quading, etc. Baños is a tiny town in the Andes. It is a popular destination for Ecuadorians on vacation. We had a very limited budget for this weekend, but we did everything we wanted for very cheap. 

We took a night bus Friday night at 12:30pm and arrived at 6:30am. There are some safety concerns taking a night bus, but as long as it's a direct ride, all your money is in a money belt, your bag zippers are inaccessible, and your arm is through your bag strap you'll be okay. It was actually really great because the was no traffic, we didn't have to pay for a hostel for the night, and we were ready for a full day of adventure when we arrived.  Practically every hostel was booked since it was a holiday weekend so we were having a little trouble getting cheap accommodations. If you go on a regular weekend, you can easily walk around and find a good one, but if it is a holiday weekend you need a reservation beforehand. We got some help finding a one from a tour guide whose friend owned one so it all worked out really well.

The first day we took a bus tour of the city and the Caretera de las Cascadas (highway of the waterfalls). It is an artsy town with hundreds of murals and artisan shops. We saw a bunch of beautiful waterfalls and we ziplined over a valley. It was terrifying but absolutely amazing and worth it. Later that night, we took a tour up to the top of the volcano where we could see the whole city and we joined a local Independence Day party. An amazing thing about Ecuador is the hospitality; especially in the small towns, foreigners are welcomed warmly and if you try to pass by a party, you will get pulled in and forced to dance.

On Sunday, we rented bikes for the day to ride along La Caretera de las Cascadas. There are seven amazing waterfalls along this road. At the second waterfall, there was a tiny arrow pointing up to the left of the fall. It didn’t look like anything, but I got closer and there was a tiny, winding, steep path going up. After surviving the path, climbing three ladders, and going through a fence we got to a hidden overlook right next to the waterfall. It was amazing.

That evening, we went to Los Baños de la Vigen. These are thermal pools heated by the volcano which are said to be holy, healing water since Mother Mary came to dip her toes in. There were a few pools ranging from freezing cold to practically too hot to go in. We decided to start cold and progressively go to the warmer pools. The cold ones are very clear and have very few people, but the more comfortable waters are pretty darn murky and crowded. Despite the crowds and the fact that we were sitting in what was probably 50% urine, it was awesome and I would completely recommend it. The hottest baths were about 140 Fahrenheit so I just dipped in and ran out. You turn red the moment you touch the water.

Such an amazing weekend was pretty affordable. We spent $44 on transportation and lodging and a little over $30 on activities:

Round trip bus from Guayaquil $21
Two-night stay at the hostel $23
Tour of the city and La Caretera de las Cascadas $7
Zip lining $7
Tour and party at the top of the volcano $5
Bike rental $6
Entrance to waterfalls $1
Bus back to the city after bikes $2

Baños $3.50

The only other thing we had to buy was food. We mostly ate off the streets to save money, but there is a huge market near downtown that has almuerzos for $2.50 and fresh produce. Almuerzos (directly translated to lunch) is an option with which you get a predetermines soup, main dish, and juice for cheap. Depending on where you are in the country these range from about $2.50-$5. A typical main dish would be either chicken or fish, a huge pile of rice, and fried plantains. It is delicious, but there is a sad lack of vegetables. Produce in Ecuador is very cheap and processed foods are more expensive—the opposite of what it’s like in the US—but for some reason, there isn’t much demand for produce here. Besides seeing my friends and family, that is what I miss most from home.

The trip home took about seven hours so it was a great time to catch up on some sleep. Next weekend I think I’m going to lay low and recover because the weekend after I’m headed back to the States for my sister’s wedding!