Shamans, Brides and Devils.

I realize that I haven´t updated in quite some time but things have been busy and the computers have been slow.  We´ll see how this one does.

Last week we left Quito for the quieter, safer and greener town of Baños.  Known for its natural resources and the spas that seem to be around every corner, it was a perfect escape from the fascinating, but loud, city of Quito.  It is a tourist destination so the food was a bit more expensive but there were decently prices hostels, lots of things to do that didn´t require you to pay $40 and we met a lot of fun people in the hostel we stayed at for three nights.  On our first wander around the city in the daylight we saw quite a few interestingly painted buildings (mostly bars) but this one stuck out quite a bit.  Can you name all of them?

With one of our new friends (Amelia) we visited the natural hot springs baths.  They were crowded but it felt SO good to soak in the water!

The next day we found three other people that wanted to do the waterfall bike ride with us and the five of us headed out at around 11 in the morning on our rented bikes.  Rory (from Australia), Kate and Oliver (from New Zealand) rented bikes from a place near our hostel.  They didn´t have ones that worked well for Jose and I so we traipsed across the town to another place that had many bikes to choose from, different sizes (small for me, large for him), comfortable seats and REAL helmets (not just skid caps).  I am SO glad Jose found that place...you´ll find out why later.

The first part of the bike ride was mostly downhill.  I was telling myself "Its ok that you haven´t rideden a bike in years, you can do this!"  Then we reached the turn off for the first waterfall.  I looked at is in astonishment.  The hill was REALLY steep and I could barely walk up it so riding up it was totally out of the question.  By the time I reached the top I could barely breathe.  I haven´t had any issues with asthma in years but something about the sudden change in altitude (I hadn´t had any issues up to that point, even in Quito) or having to push the bike up the hill with me just about did me in.  Once I could see again I looked around and saw a very underwhelming waterfall.  I did all that work and all I got was this:

Cascada de Chamana (Waterfall of the Shaman)

Pretty, but I wasn´t sure it was worth it.

Back down the hill we got back onto the road, ready for the next waterfall when Rory´s back tire got a flat.  Fortunately the shop had provided an extra tube and a hand pump.  The boys made quick work of changing the tire and when we looked at the old inner-tube we saw it had three patch jobs, all of which were not very well done.  Well, at least they had given them a spare.  Heaven help us if someone else got a flat.

Oliver in orange, Rory is the one "helping"

Back on the road and onto the next waterfall we passed a dam, some workers on a bridge that were wearing hard hats but no ear or eye protection using a sledghammer, welding or cutting steel rebar with an electric saw.  Goodness.  Then Rory looked down at his tire and it was flat again.  I guess the extra tube they gave him also had a hole in it.  Well then.

The second waterfall was beautiful and we could see it from the road, no need to climb a horrid hill!

Agoyan

This is what we were looking at as we were riding.  Not half bad huh?

The third waterfall was really pretty to see.  From the road you had a very clear view of both of them and there were places to rest and just take in the beauty of the scenery...and for Rory to pump up his bike tire again.

Manto de la Novia (Mantle of the Bride)

Looking around we saw a path that you could take to get to the base of the waterfall.  With our trusty waterbottles in hand we went down the hill (probably at least 1 km down) and across a bridge to get to the entrance to the waterfall.  There we were greeted by a lady who wanted 50 cents from each of us to enter her property.  The thing was that they had made a wall with barbed wire around her property to prevent anyone from going around and getting there anyway.  While 50 cents isn´t all that much, it was kind of a jerky thing to do.  Once at the bottom Oliver and Rory told us that we should take off our shoes and socks before going closer because they were completly soaked.

At the base of the waterfall we could hear the thundering of the water on the rocks and we could feel the force inside our chests.  Removing our shoes and socks, we ventured closer, pushed back by the force of the water, the sound reverberating through our ears and bodies.  Soaked within seconds, I turned tohave the sun at my back, and saw a circular rainbow going around my body.  

What a fantastic place this was!

 A little farther down the road we came across a superman cable that was 1 km long, for only $10.  Jose talked the lady down to $8 and Oliver and Rory decided to go.  The three of us then rode down the road to meet them.  Jose took one of the extra bikes and one of the ladies rode the other one down.  Rory´s tire was once again flat.  (I began to be extremely thankfull that Jose and I got our bikes from a different place)

Down the hill to what we hear is the best waterfall on the ride, we pass the turn off at first and then see a glimpse of it from the road.

Pailon del Diablo (the Devil´s Cauldron

We backtrack a little, park and lock up our bikes and make the 1km hike down the hill to the waterfall.  This time the cost was $1.50 but once we got there and saw all the work that had been done to make it a wonderful experince we didn´t mind.  The path down the hill was well maintaned, there were stairs and platforms that you could stand on and feel the waterfall.  

There was even a little pathway/tunnel thing that you could use to get to the upper viewpoint and then get behind the waterfall.  It was phenominal! 

Kate took this from the first platform, we are on the second platform.

Hiking back up to the top we were looking at our map and seeing that there was one more waterfall that we could see.  However we were all pretty tired, hungry and it looked like it was going to rain.  We all opted to get somthing to eat and then catch a bus or something back to Baños.  There was a woman with a sign for empanadas near where we parked our bikes so we stopped in there and ordered a couple.  They were unbelievable!  Cheese, chicken and cheese, banana and chocolate, banana and mora (like blackberry).  We were SO happy.

Then we found a man with a truck who was willing to take the 11 of us (we ended up in the same place as another group of 5 riders) for about $1.5 each.  It wasn´t a better deal than a bus but it probably would have taken longer to wait for and ride the bus.  We piled into the back and then the bikes were loaded in.  We hoped that the driver didn´t make any sudden stops or accelerations because otherwise we would have been smashed by the bikes.  Not the safest ride I´ve ever gone on.  We drove thorough some tunnels of questionable structural integrity and around some corners that were a little narrow.

Back in Baños we showered and collapsed in our respective rooms to relax.  Back at the hostel I realized that the back of my hands were really irritated.  I looked down and saw that they were blazing red.  I had remembered to put sunscreen on before our 6 hour adventrure in the sun...except the back of my hands. It turns out they were second degree burns.  This is what they looked like a week later:

Baños was fun and beautiful however the next journey we set out on has given us such fantastic experiences that it needs a post all its own.