Dance lessons by the river

My last day in Baños I was standing by a bridge to see if people were going to go ´´puenting.`` Two young locals asked me if I wanted to, and though I declined we started talking, if you could call our mixture of spanish, english, and gestures talking. Turns out that one of them was a salsa teacher, and he gave me a lesson, then I gave him a tango lesson. While I was teaching him tango his friend stood nearby with a wiffleball bat and hit him every time he messed up. Then there was a little dance off, and two of them performed a choreographed routine. They loved it when I did the moon walk, shouting ´´Michael Jackson!`` and making me break it down so that they could learn it. We did this for over an hour, and it was great to have a spontaneous interaction that was so enjoyable for everyone.

Baños

I have traveled south to the city of Baños, about a 4 hour bus ride from Quito. There was a little bit of stress about taking the right bus, and getting off at the right time, and if there would ever be a bathroom break. There never was, but I did make it to my destination without incident, though with a very full bladder.

Baños is fairly small, and has the feel of a vacation town. There are numerous places offering spa services, massage, and adventures like rafting, puenting (Jumping off bridges, though not a bungee. It´s more like you end up swinging beneath the bridge), horseback riding, etc... It feels much safer than Quito, where in some places you had to take a taxi at night even if you were only going 2 blocks and you were in a group.


I took a lengthy bike ride up the valley and hiked to several waterfalls along the way. The trip took up about 8 hours, and we were pretty spent by the time it was over. I nearly feel asleep over dinner. Two of the waterfalls were particularly nice, El Pailon del Diablo, and Malcay.

From a platform midway up Diablo, there is a crevase in the rock that slopes upward to the top. It has been fenced in, and you have to crawl/crouch along to get to the top. Once there you are an arm`s breadth away from the vast volume of water that cascades off the cliff. You get quite wet. Turns out my rain shell is actually not waterproof.

Bridal Veil Falls. It was one stream of water until the latest volcanic eruption.

All from Pailon del Diablo. I started the hike with a girl from my hostel,
and picked up a German guy along the way. One of the locals wanted
 a picture with the two blondes in the group.
So far this is the only time that has happened.

Malcay was made great by the pools that have been put into the rocks along the river below, where you could wade without fighting the strong current. At this point the valley was feeling even more tropical, with bromilliades everywhere in the canopy.

Puppy at a cafe before Malcay

 We had to deal with some barbed wire to get to these pools, but it was worth it.

I was going to go puenting, but it is windy today and I heard of an incident where the wind caught a couple of German guys and pushed them enough that they hit the bottom of the bridge. One man died and the other was in the hospital for several months. I think I´ll pass.

Yesterday I went on a hike on the hills above town. There is a statue there of the Virgin and Child carved in marble, and weather was beautiful and sunny. For the first time the clouds that normally cover the volcano that looms nearby were gone, and the sight of the white marble backed by the volcano was simply stunning.

The food here in Baños is great, there are a number of expats here, and they all seemed to open a restaurant that serves the foods from their home country. One of the guests at the hostel here is Swiss, so in honor of Swiss national day we went to the Swiss bistro here. We shared a pot of fondue and I found out two things: the crusty cheese at the bottom of the pot is called ´´grandmother´´ and when it´s gone you can scramble an egg in the pot and it makes it amazingly delicious!

That´s all I have to report, I hope you all are well, I am having a blast, but miss home at the same time!

Quito

I spent five days in Quito and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I stayed in a hostel that attracts a lot of other backpackers so I was never short on company for excursions around the city. Old Town Quito is a UNESCO world heritage site, and the colonial architecture was very nice to see, though it does result in cramped streets and some elaborate manuvering by large vehicles. The narrow sidewalks are lined with short metal posts to keep cars off, and we saw a bus get caught on one while trying to make a corner. Several men were out pushing, and finally the post, and the concrete gave way and the bus continued on its route. Another odd thing about the buses is that they play "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" as they drive along, I presume instead of honking.

 The Ronde, the street of artists

I saw several churches while I was there, two of the most impressive were La Compania de Jesus and Basilica del Voto National. The interior of La Compania is almost entirely covered in gold leaf, and instead of gargoyles, the Basilica has animals native to Ecuador protruding from the walls. You can also climb some very scary ladders up to the top of the towers of the Basilica, something that would never fly in the US due to liability issues.

 From inside the Basilica

Another highlight was the Panecillo, an enormous statue of the Virgin Mary on a hill that overlooks the city. She is formed from hundreds of sheets of aluminum and stands on top of a chained dragon. On a nearby grassy area there were many families out BBQing and flying kites.

I visited one Museum, with an extensive collection of pre Inca pottery as well as Inca gold. It was great to see the variation of pottery styles for the different ethnic groups, and to learn about the process of goldsmithing that the Incas perfected before any other culture. 

Lastly, we visiting the TeleferiQo, which is a tram that climbs up a mountain overlooking the city. The views from the top are spectuacular, you can see all of Quito and the green farmland on the slopes above the city.

I went on a hike outside of Quito, in the hills around a valley in the crater of an old volcano. A lake never formed there, and the hill you can see on the right side of the pictures are cinder cones, much like the island that formed in the center of Crater Lake.

After the hike, I went to the park that has sprung up around the equator. It is a lot of flash-and-trash. The picture is of when a dancer (visible on the left side of the photo), pulled people in to dance with him.

There, they tried to tell you that only on the equator can you balance an egg on a nail, and that water runs down the drain in different directions on each side of the equator. However, the Coriolis effect has never been shown to have an effect on small bodies of water, and they are just pouring water into the basin on different sides to create a current. When people tell me, "But I was able to balance an egg on a nail!" I have to respond, "And have you tried that OFF the equator?" I feel like I am robbing the world of magic when I see their face after that exchange, but there is plenty of magic to be found outside that tourist trap if they go looking for it. 

There are people waiting in line for the computer, so I must leave now. Miss you all!