Baños: A Town with Something for Everyone

 

 So in all, I have had 3 days here in Baños.  It's not very much time considering just how much there is to do.  I have had pretty full days, and still feel as though I have barely seen anything.  For anyone thinking of visiting Baños, think of this as an aperitif.  This is just a rough guide to some of the options here, and is in no way comprehensive.

Baños is nestled into a large valley, between a group of mountains and volcanoes.  This geographical fact has kept the town small and quaint.  It is a huge vacation destination for people in and out of Ecuador, keeping prices very reasonable.  Hotels average $8-$15 per night, meals around $3, and all of the special activities are very fair, too.  There really is something for everyone here.  A whole family could come, and easily spend a week, and never get bored.  There's artisan shopping, extreme sports, birding, jungle excursions, relaxation, you name it!
 

So here is how I've been spending my time:

 

Day 3:  Hike to the Virgin
I decided to put this activity out of order, because after seeing these pictures, I think a bit more of Baños will make sense.  For my last day in town, I decided to do a bit of hiking.  I needed to get the blood pumping, and I wanted one last chance to get a bird's eye view.   Since Baños is surrounded by mountains, one has to only choose. 

I decided to climb to the virgin.  That's really all I knew about it, but several locals recommended it to me, when they heard I wanted to draw.  So off I set in my flip flops, not knowing what I was in for.  It turned out to be a reasonable 40 minute hike up a switchback, that was woefully unmarked.  With luck, and following my instincts, I managed to make my way there without incident.  The virgin turned out to be a faded and cracked statue, perched on a cement stand.  She clearly is not the real reason that people make the trek.  As you can see by the photos, the view was well worth the sweat, and dirty toes.

Day 1:  Spa

I arrived here at night, so the next day was spent wandering around and getting the lay of the land.  Once fully acclimated, I decided to treat myself after my tough 10 days in the cloud forest.  Because of it's destination as a premiere travel town, there is a huge culture of spas here.  Just about every street has a storefront publicizing massage or manicure.  So I decided to go for it.  I splurged on the "Exclusive Package," which included 1 hr. massage, facial, manicure and pedicure.  Though it was not the best spa service I have received, it was a very relaxing few hours, and I had the chance to chat quite a bit with the gals helping me.  My bill:  $40.

 

 

Yup, I'm slathered.  Some sort of all natural ingredient that's supposed to make me look lovely.  Is it working yet?

Funnily enough, as the lady was doing my nails, I didn't know what color I was getting.  It wasn't until my mask was scrubbed off that I had the chance to see that it was my favorite!

Day 1, Nighttime:  Chiva

Throughout the day, you can see these loaded trucks driving around town.  They shuttle tourists around to the various mountaintops, winding their way through the narrow, curving streets to the peaks, earning their name: chiva, which means female goat.  Though I opted not to ride this during the day, someone told me about how they do a night tour to see the active volcano nearby.  For $5, I loaded up on a chiva named Titanic, complete with strobe lights and pounding techno music.  Every seat was occupied, totally probably over 30 people, and the wooden structure creaked and groaned as it maneuvered the narrow curves.  

 



When we reached the peak, though, it was an incredible view of Baños.  Though we could see nothing of the volcano, the town streets, illuminated buildings and valley were a lovely sight.

 

 

After getting an explanation of Baños' location, the nearby volcanoes, and the emergency procedures in case of eruption (since the closest volcano, Tungurahua, is still active), we were treated to a local drink, Caneloso, made with juice and sugar cane rum, served hot.  We had time to relax, listen to a comedy show, and but food sold by local residents out of the back of their homes.

 

I opted for a skewer of chicken and plantain, and a roasted ear of corn. Yum

Days 1-3:  Taffy Pulling
Yup.  Every day.  Along the main street, you can find a row of shops, all selling the local favorite: sweets.  There are heart shaped gelatins, candied nuts, and lots and lots of taffy.  The best part, is that the taffy is pulled by hand, right in the storefront, so you can watch the whole process.  It was really interesting to see the sugar start dark and pliable, and as they pulled it more and more, it became lighter and harder.  They kept pulling until it was just right, adding in a colored gelatin to make the swirl, pulling of twists that are wrapped in plastic and packaged for sale.  The flavor most seemed to be making these days has been mandarina, which I didn't care for, but they sell mint, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, bubble gum, cinnamon, peach and orange.

 

 

Day 2:  The Waterfalls
I have been really missing having my bike, so I was excited when I had to chance to rent a mountain bike (only $5 a day), and make the 32km loop to see the many waterfalls spilling from the mountaintops.  Most of them go right into a river to the side of the road, and a few even spill onto the road itself!  This was easily one of my favorite activities here, or was, at least, until my tire was punctured by a shard of glass!  :(  Despite that, it was great the be moving again under my own power, and to get to enjoy the magical setting of this town, nestled right into a series of valleys.

 

 
Day 2:  Parapente (Paragliding)
I have always wanted to take the skies, without the use of jet fuel.  Hang-gliding, parasailing, paragliding, have all help interest for me.  Baños turned out to be the perfect place for this.  For $60, you get a lesson and a 20 minute flight over the valley, where I finally got my view of Tungurahua. We spent the whole afternoon on the hillside, enjoying the view and waiting for our turn.  It proved to be well worth the wait.  I was so amazed at how smoothly you float.  Before I knew it we were in the air, looking down on mountains, grazing cows, people tilling their land, and all the rest.  My "guide," Edgar is one of the only certified paragliders in town.  He was patient, careful, and very talented.  He made it a breeze, and I can't recommend him enough if anyone is thinking of gliding here.

Fun Fact:  Oddly enough, the only other American in our group, Juliana, is a fellow Carleton grad, living and teaching in California.  Small world. 

Just me, floating....

By the end of the afternoon, we were able to watch the sunset over the town, washing the clouds with color.  Even the wind favored us, blowing the clouds away a bit from the surrounding volcanoes, giving us a spectacular view of the peaks.  It turned out to be an incredible day, and well worth the time and money spent.

So my time in Baños has come to an end.  In a few short hours I will be catching a long overnight bus ride up north to meet my outing into the Amazon.  I am energized by all that I have had the chance to do here, but saddened to know that I have barely scratched the surface!  There are natural baths, canyoning and whitewater rafting tours, horseback riding (which I can never do again, but regardless), bungee jumping, and tons of options for folks who like to go out at night.

These were 3 days, very worth the trip!