Our first big excursion was to a beautiful little town called Baños or Baths in English. Baños is a city in eastern Tungurahua Province, in central Ecuador. Baños is the second most populous city in Tungurahua, after Ambato, the capital, and is a major tourist center. It is known as the "Gateway to the Amazon", as it is located on the Pastaza River in the Amazon Riverbasin.
Our first day in Baños we walked around the city and enjoyed the sights of a city nestled between the mountains. We walked to a nearby waterfall and spring, enjoyed chewing on sugar cane, drank local beverages made from sugar cane and took pictures of the colonial church. We then enjoyed a Ecuadorian lunch together at a local restaurant. After an hour break, we had a hike up a very steep mountain to a cafe called "Cafe del Cielo" or Cafe in the Clouds. For many the hike was very tiring because we have not yet completely adjusted to the altitude. It took us about an hour and a half to reach the cafe, but it was definitely worth the climb! The views, as you can see from the pictures are spectacular. The cafe was quite nice and we purchased beverages and food to enjoy while we overlooked Baños below. We then went back down the mountain, but took a different route that led us by a Virgin statue and eventually back to Baños. After the hike, many of the students decided to go to the nearby hot springs to relax and recover.
The second day in Baños was even more exciting. We began by doing canopy zip lining. This is different from regular zip lining in that you're not sitting but "flying" on your stomach. Its also called "superman" zip lining. At first, it was a bit scary because we were going from mountain to mountain and in the process flying over a waterfall. The experience was exhilarating and the butterflies quickly left after leaving the platform. We flew over a gorgeous landscape and it was uniquely peaceful. After finishing zip lining, we then traveled across the same two mountains on a type of gondola. About eight to ten students travelled at a time and quite frankly, was a little scarier then actually zip lining. It was completely safe, but the gondola swayed and moved with the wind and movement of the cable. We stopped above the waterfall to take pictures from our high vantage point and then hung on tight while we zipped quickly back to the platform. Our final activity of the day was to visit one of the most impressive waterfalls in Ecuador. It was called "Pailón del Diablo" or The Devil's Cauldron in English. It was a nice little hike getting there, but it was definitely worth the walk. The waterfall is 100 meters high or about 328 feet high. The power of the waterfall was intense to say the least, and we all got wet just getting near. As the water crashed on the rocks below the sound was deafening, we were all awestruck by the power the water produced. After spending a few hours at the Pailón del Diablo we made our way bak to the bus and on our way home. We were all tired and slept quite well on the bus...it was a good trip!!
No comments:
Post a Comment