Time to move, and whilst I have relaxed in Baños I am keen to find somewhere to explore so I have booked a bus to Cuenca. I climb onboard what looks to be a local bus and realise that the next 7 hours are going to be bumpy. And there is no toilet…
Whilst the trip is entertaining with various local people hopping on and off (often whilst the bus is moving) the scenery is stunning. I love the colours of the landscape and the patchwork hills with different crops. We also get to stop twice for the bathroom so that was a relief.
It is early evening by the time we arrive and despite sitting down all day, I am fit for nothing. I find a tasty restaurant nearby and then tuck myself in for the night.
I’ve booked to go to the Quilotoa crater today, fortunately a British couple, Joel & Kate, also want to go and so the tour is on. Sat eating breakfast as the guide walks in, bizarrely it is Fernando ‘messy’ who was our raft guide on the river a few days ago. We set off by car (nice change from mini vans) and Messy talks us through the villages and towns we pass including Pelileo which is the main commercial market for the region and mass producer of jeans. We stop briefly at a lake and then at Tio Toachi canyon. This canyon is pretty cool, it was actually formed by lava flow. Messy makes me stand on the edges for photos which I do nervously.
Our arrival at Quilotoa coincides nicely with lunchtime and we sit in a cute restaurant with a wood burning stove eating quinoa soup and chicken. The crater lake view is amazing, the minerals keep it a lovely blue with brighter edges. I hadn’t fully realised we would be at 4000masl until we walked a bit and I felt it in my lungs.
Our hike took us down to the lake edge, a steep 300m down on a sand path. The lake was really peaceful and tranquil, we spent 20minutes down there before starting the climb out. Jeez, that was the tough part. The sand path and gradient was exhausting but we took it slowly. I was red and knackered as we made it back to the top but still smiling. We drove back to Baños as it grew dark and I took Joel & Kate to my favourite Italian for my last night in town.
Friday was Justin’s last day in Ecuador as he needed to get home via Lima. We wandered up to the bus station via a quick coffee stop and he left on a midday bus. It was quite funny watching the bus leave, throwing some passengers off and stopping for a few more before it had got out of the station. He seemed okay as he set off for Quito and his afternoon flight to Lima.
After a faster paced few weeks, I was ready to chill and plan my next move. I grabbed my things and moved to a cheaper hotel down the road with the important addition of a hammock on my balcony for strategic planning/snoozing. I made good use of this spot over the next few days as it was also perfectly positioned for people watching!
I can skip through the next 3 days as they cover the same routine. The weather was pretty grey so I spent time in coffee shops, reading in my hammock, indulged in a body massage and enjoyed a few nice meals including an excellent spaghetti carbonara. I have decided to stay in Ecuador till the end of the month to explore more before heading to Colombia.
I woke up with a bit of a funny tummy, and it is raining. I am thinking the bike ride is going to be a wash out, but we agree to read for an hour or so to see if it clears up. There is a great spot at the hostel with two hammocks that we can laze in. It is Justin’s last day so I am hoping it isn’t a write off.
By 11am it had cleared up enough for us to grab the bikes and set off, I am pretty sluggish but this route is perfect as the 16km is mostly downhill. It is called the Waterfalls route as it tracks a river with three waterfalls. We pass Cascada Agoyan, then Cascada Manto de la Novia and both feature zip lines or suchlike with multiple companies, it is fun to watch the chiva tours or party buses as I would call them moving on the adventure tour.
The ride is mainly on road unless there is a cycle route around one of the tunnels. Our last stop is Cascada Pailón del Diablo or Devil’s cauldron, this waterfall is best viewed by hiking down to see it. It is immensely powerful and it’s always fun to get close enough for a thunderous spray. The hike back up isn’t nice but once at the top we can load our bikes and ourselves into a truck for a bumpy lift back to town.
We drop the bikes back and stroll to a cafe. I manage a camomile tea whilst Justin wolfs down a corn muffin topped with cheese and a coffee. A restful afternoon and I am feeling much better as we head out for dinner. I can’t believe this is Justin’s last night before he starts the trip home. We order red wine to toast a great trip and I play it safe with chicken and rice. Unfortunately my stomach reminds me it is sick about half way in, which puts a dampener on our celebrations.
Slightly apprehensive about our activity today. Last time I went white water rafting my last dunking was not particularly pleasant, but I rationalise that today’s rapids are graded 3&4 so should not be as crazy.
We pick up our safety gear and set off on a 45 minute drive along the river to our entry point. Our raft has 6 people plus the guide, who all speak English so following commands should be straight forward. I am pleased to be with 4 guys so we should have the muscle to paddle out of trouble. It soon becomes clear that our guide is going to use the muscle to paddle into the rapids. I wedge my feet under the rope, say a prayer and start paddling.
We are on the river for an hour and travel around 20km through different grades of rapids, all good fun with a few scary sections. I was very pleased that I managed to stay in the raft and a little dissapointed when it ends. We climb out and change al fresco style before climbing back into the van. We arrive back in Baños in the late afternoon following a pit stop for a roast chicken and rice lunch which was included in the day.
Our preferred coffee house is closed but we find a better one near the square and sample a tasty flat white. Tonight is Justin’s choice thus we enjoy a burger and a couple of beers in a brewhouse, mine being a ‘ginger’ beer which was very good.
La Floresta, Baños de Agua Santa, Cantón Baños, Ecuador
A slow, easy start to today with a trip to the tour agent. We enthusiastically sign up for white water rafting tomorrow and to hire bikes on Wednesday. They suggest a tour up to Casa de Arbol, but I think we can do it ourselves. Sure enough there is a local bus that can take us up for a dollar which is a relief as I think Justin has been contemplating a hike up!
The Casa de Arbol is of course a tree house, but off it hangs simple swings that go out over the edge of the hill, marketed as a ‘swing at the end of the world’. On a clearer day you can see the Tungurahua volcano. We arrive after passing several imitations and pay our entry. It’s not too busy and there are four swings for us to choose from. Whilst this is a simple concept, it is great childlike fun to swing out and back so we have two goes just to make sure we get good pictures…
We have decided to take a scenic hike down via a mirador but manage to miss the badly signposted turn offs. We eventually find a turn that takes us past a huge cross (that is illuminated at night) and downwards to the town. It is pretty steep and slippery but gets us great views and a bit of exercise before finding a coffee shop with hammocks to recover in.
Tonight we visit the ‘healing’ thermal baths that Baños is famous for, La Piscinas de la Virgen. We time our arrival for evening opening when they refresh the water. It is nice but only one bath where I can take the temperature and bobbing in a crowded murky bath whilst wearing the obligatory hired pink hair cap can only be done for so long. We last an hour before hopping out in favour of clean showers at our hotel. A tasty Italian pasta followed by a chocolate fondant rounds off a good first day in Baños.
The Hilton is so comfy, I could have happily stayed a week but more adventures are beckoning and we decided on Baños for Justin’s last few days. We bid goodbye at breakfast to Colin, Kate, Hayley & Rob as we all go our separate ways. The bus terminal is a 40minute taxi ride away and costs more than the3hour bus to Baños, which is only $4.50. It’s fairly stress free, if you don’t count the high volume Spanish movie played for our entertainment and impossible to drown out. Scenery is lovely and green with the white capped volcanos appearing along the way.
We arrive in Baños late afternoon to find a small town with a nice vibe. Our hotel is good, set close to the hill with a few hammocks for lounging in. It’s a lazy evening for us with a short stroll and dinner.
A cloud covered Cotopaxi
La Floresta, Baños de Agua Santa, Cantón Baños, Ecuador
Last island today as we get up early to circumnavigate Daphne Island. This small island is home to the Finches which show evolutionary changes in a couple of years and it was the study of these that helped Darwin prove his theories. We enjoy the birds flying and the trusty Frigate birds hovering over the boat.
Once we have finished breakfast it is time to say our goodbyes to the crew and travel to the airport. I manage to get a Galápagos stamp in my passport before we leave for Quito. We arrive in Quito in the late afternoon and after a quick dip in the outdoor pool we sneak Hayley and Rob into the lounge for a few glasses of vino tinto.
Justin has been craving a burger, so the four of us walk down to Plaza Foch, and a place that does stuffed burgers with cheap beer. Colin and Kate find us, so the six of us order a couple more rounds for a merry last night.
A long motor from Fernandina over the top of Isabela, puts us back to Santiago Island. First up after breakfast is a snorkel, in supposedly warmer water. It’s cold, but we see fur seals on the rocks and there are lots of shoals of fish. The yellow tails are particularly spectacular as they form a carpet over the rocks. Then there are a couple of white tip sharks swimming casually around, easily the biggest we have seen at 5 or 6ft. As we move into sandier territory we all haul out ready to warm up on the boat with cinnamon tea.
Santiago Island is also an Island with cool rock formations, we saw lava tubes in the sea bed but on land are ones that have eroded to resemble a monk and one like an elephant. We cruise for a while over lunch as we approach Rabida Island which is know for its red mineral beaches.
Snorkel time again, and I have loved the amount of underwater action we have got to see on the trip. This session is quite choppy and cloudy due to a recent rock fall so visibility is limited. We still all enjoy it with chasing large yellow mullet shoals being a highlight.
Our walk onto Rabida Island is perhaps the prettiest yet. The rich red sands and rock have big flowering prickly pear cactus across them and silver coloured trees. We have Fur Seals lounging on the beach and American Oyster Catcher birds wadding in the water. The seal pups are really playful, dancing around in the breaking waves, even the adults are enjoying a few tumbles and stretches.
This evening is our toast to the crew and then a navigation to Daphne Island. The first few hours over dinner are particularly rocky and we are both unwell. Early night for me.
We didn’t navigate all night so it was a calm boat and everyone slept well. There was excitement at breakfast as the boys managed to spot Hammerhead Sharks circling the boat last night, my excitement was for the pile of pancakes served up to start the day.
Our first stop was a dry landing onto Isobela Island for the views from the top of the hill of the volcanos and of Darwin lake. The snorkelling on the shore nearby gave us more fish and a couple of turtles before I hit a few jellyfish and decided climbing back into the dingy would be safer.
We spotted Fin Whales just before lunch and the boat turned around so we could spend time observing them swimming around and spraying from their blow holes.
The afternoon was spent off Fernandina Island, the youngest of the Islands to the west of side of the archipelago. The snorkelling was amazing, so many Marine Turtles at one point I didn’t know where to look and was worried I would tread on them as they munched on the vegetation below.
Our final stop in Espinoza Point is for a short beach walk. This was fabulous, we had piles of Marine Iguanas sat on the lava rocks where we docked, sneezing the saline solution through their noses. There were hundreds of sea birds diving for fish including Flightless Cormorants, Pelicans and Boobies. The bay has lots of Turtles poping their heads up from the water, but the best part was the Galápagos Sea Lions. The pups were between 3 weeks and 6 months old, and just really adorably cute. The mothers did not like you getting too close though.
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Parroquia Tomas de Berlanga (Santo Tomas), Cantón Isabela, Ecuador
