Bienvenidos a Ecuador
Spending well over 3 months exploring just Peru and Bolivia, I found myself at a crossroads. I could either continue south to Argentina, where red wine flows thicker then honey and juicy steaks are not only apart of the staple diet, but also the cheapest meal on the menu. Or, I could deny my glutonous instincts and head north to the promised warm weather, stunning coastlines, and understandable Espanol of Ecuador.
3 excruciating, consecutive overnight bus rides, 55 hours of pancake butt, and one hellasish border crossing…
taking my first steps in Ecuador…PRICELESS!
3 excruciating, consecutive overnight bus rides, 55 hours of pancake butt, and one hellasish border crossing…
taking my first steps in Ecuador…PRICELESS!
First stop, Banos. No, not the bathrooms (for those of you Spanish speakers), the town of Banos, located in the saucy Ecuadorian jungle. I’m not exactly sure why it was named after the ‘loo’, but I have a feeling the plentiful amounts of rainfall and rushing waterfalls all around, had something to do with it. High enough to avoid the stifling wilderness heat, yet low enough to dodge the icy mountain winds, Banos enjoys temperant weather all year round. Lodged in the bosom of the Ecuadorian Andes, the only way out, is up. Dozens of paths criss cross upwards through her opulant surrounds, all culminating with the same prodigious, yet menacing, panorama.
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Tungurahua, also known as the, “Black Giant”, is the largest active volcano in Ecuador and Banos has a front row seat to the action Usually masked in stodgy cloud cover, the ploom of black smoke rising from it’s firey interior, cannot be missed. Spewing rock and ash daily, the last big eruption (causing a complete town evacuation) occurred in 2006, and researchers say she could erupt again any day. Despite this menacing sight, people go about their daily lives with little regard to her presence. Just as those in the U.S. midwest have adapted to tornadoes, and those on the coasts to hurricanes, so have Ecuadorians adapted to collosal, erupting volcanoes.
The town itself has a lovely colonial feel. Where each aging brick tells a story and the cobble stone walks hold more gossip then the local hair dressers. Where old men roam the same streets they have for years still expecting to uncover something new. And where children play freely in the streets into the wee hours of morning. |
The cafe's and restuarants are magical, beckoning a visit with their alluring outward appearance and interior charm. Savoring meals, for what felt like the first time in my life, and truly experiencing just how soothing a glass of red could be. Sipping from the same glass for hours while partaking in one of my favorite pastimes, people watching.
Banos has been my vacation from the vacation. This diamond in the rough has provided the necessary reprieve from prolonged bus rides, fallacious tour companies, and big city "hospitality", successfully spending my days doing absolutely nothing touristy. Reading in the morning, writing in the afternoon, and enjoying countless cafe con leche's along the way. Oh, and enjoying a few nights with an old friend I hadn’t seen in months...most know him as, Television. |
My plan was to stay only a few days, but now I'm fighting staying the week. And this is the beauty of traveling without a plan (and a time limit). Finding a place and turning it into a love affair. The one that you keep going back to, or in my case, can never leave. Everyone experiences places differently, but I can't imagine anyone coming to Banos, and not leaving satisfied. ©