Another day tour in Ecuador – Banos and the Waterfalls

Not sure who booked this tour but they sure didn’t pay attention to the start time, 7:00am. Not to mention there’s a 3hr drive to get to and from Banos. But that in itself is entertainment. Drivers here are pretty courteous, that’s because no one really pays attention to lanes or stopping in the middle of a lane, everyone does it so no one gets pissed when it happens, just go around.

The countryside here is really mountainous, kinda goes along with volcanoes. And because were fairly close to the ocean, there’s lots of fog / clouds in the valleys. Makes for good viewing when I’m not watching the cars zip in and out around a stopped bus.

OK, ready for a little info on Banos. Yes, the word, ‘banos’ means bathroom in Spanish, but here it means something different. Banos de Augua Santa, or Baths of Santa Water, refers to the incredible waterfalls and hot springs in the area. This area was a pit stop for travelers going to and returning from the Amazon years ago when it was done by hiking. Since Banos de Augua Santa had numerous hot springs, it was a natural stop over to refresh your aching dogs.

Banos de Agua Santa

Our stop in Banos was to refresh something that was aching after 3hrs in the back seat but not our feet. First stop was the market. Everyone in town was there shopping for fruits and vegetables for the week. Plenty of local grown goods along with some that were harvested from the Amazon. Yep, some of the fruits and vegetables were actually brought to this market from the Amazon forest. Fruits like monkey tail, a vine-like fruit that has fluffy seed pods that tasted like ice cream; or granadilla, a slimy, sweet fruit with meat that has the consistency of frog spawn; and taxo, a fruit that you break in half and suck out the seeds and goo, pretty good actually.

Pepino fruit

Babaco fruit

Shopping Day

Taxo fruit

Tree tomatoes

Monkey Tail fruit

Chirimoya fruit (really yummy!)

Taken what you’re given cause I’m workin for a livin!

So, how do you top that, empanadas of course. Our guide, Pedro, stopped by a small empanada stand and ordered up a half dozen of these deep fried tasty morsels for $1. Loaded with banana and cheese and then deep fried to crunchy perfection. Wonderful!

Opps, that’s not empanadas.

Time to move on to the waterfalls and some real fun. Pedro told our driver, Franklin (not Ben) to pull over at this wide spot in the road. We all got out and made our way to this tiny little shack that had what looked like a freight basket from the 1950’s suspended on a cable crossing the river. Crossing the river at about 150’ above. No biggie, Pedro paid the $2, we all climbed in, and off we went shooting across the river. When I looked back, the operator (I use the term loosely) was at the control handle and leaning full forward. Guess that was for going and leaning back was for returning, not sure, had my eyes closed and was holding on tightly to Collette’s legs. She got some great shots, mine were all clouded by the chicken wire that surrounded the basket.

Crawled out of the basket and made my way back to the car. Somehow, now that back seat didn’t seem so uncomfortable. Last stop of the day, Devil’s Cauldron. This waterfall is probably the most famous single-drop waterfall in all of Ecuador. Located on the Rio Verde river (Green River), the waterfall , Pailon del Diablo, drops roughly 265’ into a large basin. There are two viewing areas, one on each side of the falls. Either viewing area comes with a bit of a shower, all included in the price of admission. Final stop for our day, now time to head back to Quito just in time for the evening traffic.

Mom-bear and me

The Cauldron

The Falls

Long, day. We started at 7:00am and made it back to the apartment around 6:40pm, almost 12hrs! Great tour but time for a cocktail and then off to bed. Tomorrow is a down day so we’ll walk around Old Town and check out the city. Next stop on this adventure will be the Galapagos Islands. Weather there is a bit warmer, should be around 80-85F, maybe a little rain now and then, and humid! Off to see the tortoise, sharks and blue-footed boobies. Who doesn’t love boobies?

Got some great videos but unfortunately, very poor internet here in Ecuador. Load em’ up later.

Later…

Oh yeah, we also stopped to have a swing out over a cliff. Those Ecuadorians, what jokers!