Ecuador Day 10

I biked 45 kilometers.

Holy Shit.

And I didn´t die.

Wow.


SO....yesterday (which was day 10....couldn´t blog about it yesterday cause there was no electricity in Banos) I woke up, did yoga, had breakfast with Lou, Pat, Bar, Kathryn & Duncan. Bar met the Australian couple while traveling earlier in the month, and they met up with us. Duncan has mountain climbing fever, so he departed after breakfast to summit the tallest mountain in Ecuador. Anyways, breakfast at the same fabulous place as the day before, and then we were off to pick up our bikes. The night before when we were at the baths, we fell into a conversation with a local Ecuadorian guy. He owns a place in town that organizes tours, canyoning, climbing etc., He told us that the bikes were 6 bucks...Bar refused, bargained and then just said ´Well, I am paying 5 dollars, and so are my friends. So have 5 bikes ready tomorrow for 5 dollars apiece¨ and that was the end of the conversation. You must understand my friend Bar, she picks a price that she´ll pay and she refuses to pay a dollar more...even if it means bargaining for hours!! hahaha. The next morning after breakfast we headed to Paulo´s place and there were 5 bikes sitting out front. We handed him 25 bucks, put on our helmets and we were off. He offered to ride part of the way with us, which was very nice...after all, I haven´t been on a mountain bike in a very, very, very long time....I only tried to STOP the bike about 10 times by peddaling BACKWARDS like I do on my grandma-bike at home! The beauty of the 60 km bike to Puyo is that a good majority of it is downhill, BUT there is also some not-so-inviting uphill inclines that are just unfriendly. I would be cussing up a storm, sweating to death, moving about an inch a minute, and then after 3 minutes of agony, I would coast for about 6minutes. We stopped once and climbed down to an epic waterfall, and several other short stops to just take a breather. Once or twice we had to get off and walk our bike, and once we had to peddle through a very dark, very scary tunnel. Bar´s bike broke half way through so she hitched a ride home, Lou´s chain popped off about three quarters of the way there, so we coasted a bit further and then called it quits. Afterall, we had been biking for 6 hours. We walked to the opposite side of the road and waited for a bus. Buses here will take anything...you will see live sheep standing on top of a bus...somehow tied down. Big cotton candy machines are loaded atop, and they certainly take bikes. We were picked up by a pickup truck though, and for about 30 minutes the 4 of us (kathryn, lou, pat and i) and our 4 bikes were crammed into the bed of the truck. Bar and I had decided earlier in the ride that we were going to make a big dinner that night...so when we got back she had already gone to the market. We set the table beautifully and made homemade salsa and guacamole, I roasted garlic in olive oil for dipping our delicious bread in, Bar made a huge huge delicious salad and I made some dressing...and of course, we made sangria. We also found some delicious whole wheat bread with walnuts which we ate with some dutch cheese and gouda. LIFE IS GOOD. Ben, a frenchman who was lucky enough to be placed in our dorm, was invited to dinner as our guest....and he couldn´t believe his eyes!! hahaha. We put some music on and their was a ton of candlelight (no electricity!) and we sat by our fire to enjoy our delightful meal. Afterwards, sore and full and exhausted, we all stumbled down to the hot baths to soak our sores away. Bah. I love it. I could spend hours at the hot baths just going from hot, to cold, to hot hot to hot to cold. hahaha. Now, at 6:30am, I am being bad and skipping yoga...trying to catch up on some internet time before Pat and I take our 10 hour journey to MONTANITA. I do NOT want to leave Banos, but I think that we have to...otherwise our 10 hour journey would be for one day at the beach, which seems quite ridiculous...and in another 4 days we will be flying to the GALAPAGOS. I´m pretty bummed to be leaving Bar...we´ve become incredibly close this past week, but shes one of those that I will remain friends with for years to come. Onward and upward to the BEACH!

Ecuador Day 8 and 9

Every day is better than the day before.

Yesterday, Day 8, we arrived in Banos. We were lucky to catch a direct bus to Banos, not having to transfer in Amabato! Bar and I grabbed seats next to eachother and exchanged ipods for the ride. We bought some sweet empanadas on the bus for 50 cents, and cuddled with a mans puppy for some of the ride. The bus ride to Banos was the most beautiful ride yet. Huge mountains topped with snow, smoking volcanoes, blue skies and beauty beyond belief. Once in Banos we checked out a few hostals and opted for Hostal Santa Cruz...what a gem! Cute, small, with a fire place in the center of our kitchen. Free internet, a full kitchen, hammocks and clean comfortable rooms with a private bathroom and shower (HOT WATER, and good pressure!!!!). Lou, Bar, Pat and I are sharing the dorm which is nice. We walked through the whole town which is cute and homey and friendly. While walking up to the waterfall, amazing waterfall, we ran into New York John, whom we met at Secret Garden in Quito. He told us that we MUST go to the hot baths at 6pm, so we hurried to Cafe Hood for some delicious grub, and then to the baths. Wow. You pay 2 dollars to get in, and I SWEAR that every single person who lives in Banos was there. You go in, shower, and then there are 3 pools: freezing cold, hot and extremely extremely hot. All have natural minerals in the water that are said to heal the body. We went from cold, to extremely scorching hot, to cold, to hot, back to scorching, then to cold, then to hot...then shower and home. We chatted for awhile but then retired to bed. Now, starting day 9....the most epic day yet.

Day 9: I wake up at 6am and do an hour of yoga outside in our beautiful garden. Following that we go to breakfast in town at Cafe Rico and had the most amazing breakfast ever, and it was only 3 dollars. REAL coffee with milk...and it was GOOD coffee...freshly blended pineapple juice, big whole wheat buns and buttery croissants, and yogurt with granola and fruit, drizzled with honey. THEN, Bar Lou Pat and I headed to Maria´s for horseback riding. We got 4 amazing horses and went riding with Marias husband, Jamie. It was the 4 most spectacular hours of my life. WAIT till you see the photos. There was a huge waterfall, giant canyons, we drank water straight from the stream and soaked our feet in the cold water running down the mountain. I´ve never seenPat so happy...and shes ALWAYS happy. Bar too had the most amazing time...all of us, smiling so wide that our cheeks hurt. Lou, who is 62, hadn´t been on a horse since boyscouts...but he had a great time as well, just a bit sore..... After the horseback riding we went and scheduled MASSAGES. And now, you are going to think that I´m exaggerating, but it was the BEST massage that I´ve ever had...and Pat, who has had many massages, agrees with me. When Bar walked out she looked like she was ready to just float up to heaven hahaha. It was a dreamy walk home. FUCK. Just amazing. I love Banos. I decided this afternoon, perched atop one of the highest mountains on a horse, looking out over this beautiful town, that NEXT year I am cutting one month off of Costa Rica and I´m going to spend it here in Ecuador, in BANOS. I was talking with Jamie about living with a local family, and he said I could rent a room from his sisterinlaw for 30-month. Everyone here speaks spanish...very very little english, so I think it would be a great learning experience. ANyways...gotta jet now, heading to the hot springs to soak soak soak. Later we are coming back to the house for some sangria I made this afternoon...and tomorrow, we bike to PUYO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VIVA ECUADOR! VIVA BANOS!