Baños, Ecuador

Leaving the Animal Rescue Centre a week early with Barry Fisher a.k.a Fish, a.k.a the pommy, the decision was made to see the highly recommended Baños for the weekend. This quickly turned into 6 days of recuperation and relaxation!

As reported the feel of the town was amazing, relaxed, friendly, not overcrowded with like minded tourists and a great general aura. With some fear that the Baños charm could wear off with an extended stay, we could consider this to home if we were ever lucky enough.

Baños is a tourist township and is designed around the tourist industry. There is no shortage of tour operators, up to the point that it is hard to decipher which are the better ones! During a walking expedition to the mirador to try and see the volcano I was able to try puenting. This experience is unlike bungee jumping where your line has elasticity and you can bounce. More it is designed as a swing off the hard line and diving as far as possible away from the bridge is the only option to not cause any physical damage. The drop in the canyon is around 110 metres and not having seen anyone else attempt the jump raised concerns how the 4mm line would both withstand the shock of the drop and my body not be ripped apart. Unfortunately after summing the courage and jumping I was soon to discover that you jumped 40 metres before swinging on the pendulum. For only $15 it was worth the experience, but I still look forward to a full bungee jump that will get my hair wet at the end!

View from the bridge

View of my impending deathtrap from afar

After Fish departed to Venezuela, Leigh and I planned for a day walking to the surrounding mountains to take in the view and explore this beautiful city. The walk chosen, ended being quite difficult with a consistent 60 degree incline to the top. Absolutely worth the trip, we discovered many other walks in the surrounding mountains which we plan to conduct on our next visit to Baños.

Unfortunately, my neck has been playing up again.  This was made worse as it flared up the night before we were to go rafting. Although this experience has been missed, we hope to get a chance of rafting somewhere to make up for it. The benefit allowed for several more days of small walks and town exploration, sleep ins and local food all of which were delicious.

During our stay we tried Guinea Pig, traditional Spanish tapas and local dishes that cost as little as $2.50. The night life was also great and safe and we enjoyed a good night out with Fish, other tourists and locals. The pick of the bars is the Leprecaun if you ever find yourself visiting the town.

After accepting to stay in Baños a few extra days, it prevented the return stay in Quito and meant a days travelling by Bus, taxi and plane to fly to our next destination, Bogota Columbia….