Baños

Thursday, May 29
I spent Thursday getting some more last minute things for the Galapagos trip (a new pair of board shorts, some food, and lots of alcohol). We are flying out tomorrow morning at 10am and are supposed to be on the boat by 1pm. After our 5 day trip on the boat, I will be spending an additional 4 days on the islands to do some more hiking, snorkeling, and diving.

Wednesday, May 28
We awoke Wednesday morning to much of the same weather...overcast with a good potential for rain. Yet again, despite the forecast, Jodi and I decided to rent bikes again and head further away from Baños to see more waterfalls that we had missed the previous day. We headed out and when we came to the bridge jumping spot, Jodi spoke with the operator and they let her have her go since she had paid for it the previous day. From there, we headed on down the road to a waterfall where we could take a cable car across the river and pass directly over the waterfall. There were 3 other people in our cable car and they were all from the states...Chris, Jose, and Megan. We got to talking and decided to head off together to see some of the other waterfalls.

The next stop was Pailon del Diablo, which, according to signs along the way, is the 8th wonder of the world. While the waterfall was impressive, I don't think it will make the list. However, there was a new set of balconies that gave people access to close up views of the waterfall and even let you go behind the falls. The only catch was that you had to basically crawl on your hands and knees beneath rocks (not good for claustrophic people) for a few minutes to access the balconies. We then headed on to Machay waterfall.

We capped the day off by watching the other Copa Libertadore semi-final match between Boca (Argentina) and Fluminense (Brazil) which also ended in a tie, 2-2. Jodi, Jessica, and I then headed to the bus terminal to catch an 11pm overnight bus back to Guayaquil. We decided to go with a different bus company, as they promised a better bus and direct service with no stops. They lied! First, the bus did not even show up until 12:30am. Second, the bus was remarkable worse than the first. The seats were so close together that I could not sit with my legs in front of me...instead I had to stick them out in the aisle. My seat would not recline...at least it wouldn't lock in a reclined position, so it was like sitting on a see-saw. Finally, it was not direct...we must have made 12 stops on the way. But, we all survived and pulled into Guayaquil at 6:30am.

Tuesday, May 27
We made it to Baños around 8am. It was not great weather. There were clouds hovering over all the mountains and it looked like rain was coming. But, despite that forecast, we all decided to rent bikes and attempt canyoning. Jodi and I also signed up for bridge jumping, which is similar to bungee jumping, but there is no give to the chord and it is more like pendulum swinging. The bike ride started off fine and we got some great views of the mountains and some waterfalls. After about an hour of biking, we met up with a crew to go canyoning. We jumped in a car and drove about 5 minutes to our staging point were we proceeded to put on wet suits and harness for the excursion. Canyoning is basically repelling down watefalls, so we were all required to wear helmets and knee pads to attempt to prevent injury. Our guide, Franklin (a 20 year old Baños firefighter) then led us on a 25 minute hike where we could start our adventure. We each got to practice on a small 12 foot boulder and then jumped right into the waterfalls. It was fantastic! We repelled down 5 different falls, the tallest being 35m high.

After we finished canyoning, we returned to the bridge where we had met the canyoning crew. It was this bridge where I would attempt the bridge jumping...Jodi had decided not to go at this time as she was incredible cold from canyoning and it had started to absolutely pour, so it wasn't exactly the ideal conditions for bridge jumping. However, since I was there, I decided to go ahead with it. Like bungee jumping, it is quite a rush standing on the edge of bridge looking down. The first few seconds are identical to bungee jumping...basically throwing yourself face first off a high place...but then you just swing back and forth beneath the bridge for a few minutes before you are lowered to the ground. For $15 it was worth it.

We finished the day by returning to Baños and watching the Copa Libertadores semi-final match between Liga de Quito (Ecuador) and America (Mexico), which ended in a disappointing tie (1-1).

Monday, May 26
We were able to meet up with Jon and Lucy for an incredible dinner (El Toro Asado) last night. Monday was spent buying a couple things for the Galapagos trip and then Jodi, Jessica, and I headed to the bus terminal to purchase overnight bus tickets to Baños. We figure since we have a few days to spare, why not check out a few other places in Ecuador. We hoped on what was supposed to be a 11:30pm departing bus to Baños. However, the bus arrived late and didn't leave until close to 12:30am. And, on top of that, I have never been on a bus with a temperature like that one. For the first 3 hours sweat was literally pouring down my face and completely soaked all of my clothing. Each time I opened the window (which opened from the seat in front of me), the 10 year old Ecuadorian kid sitting in the row in front of me would shut it. I was ready to lose it....I don't do well in confined areas with extreme heat.