Our last day at the market with the kiddos...
This past weekend we went to Baños, which is a must-see adventure and tourist destination in Ecuador. It was beautiful and we did do some adventurous activities! We took a three and half hour bus ride on Friday after our last market with the kiddos. We arrived pretty late at night, but noticed right away how beautiful it was! There was a waterfall right in the middle of town! Usually you have to take quite a hike to see a waterfall!
Oh, and I never wrote about Thanksgiving! On Thanksgiving night Mike and I went out with a group of volunteers to La Ronda to have dinner and pie. A couple of the volunteers really wanted to try cuy, or cooked guinea pig, so we were checking out the restaurants. Mike was making a joke how he was the only guy in a group of girls, then, as we were standing outside of a restaurant, a group of guys were just walking in at the same time. They were all American, so we put our tables together and sort of had our own Thanksgiving dinner with traditional Ecuadorian food! Mike and I actually tried the cuy/guinea pig! It was like dark chicken or turkey. It was not very appetizing though, as you could see the entire body of the animal, including the head, teeth, and tail!
So, back to Baños! We met up with the guys we spent Thanksgiving with in Baños, and had this amazing crepe breakfast with spicy cappuccinos, macciatos, and mora juice, then went to the CASA DEL ARBOL to swing at the end of the world and go on a little zipline. I actually wasn't planning on swinging since I'm terrified of heights, but I did it! It was awesome! It really wasn't as scary as the pictures made it seem!
The yummy crepes and coffee!
Swinging at the "end of the world" at the CASA DEL ARBOL in Baños!
"Look! No hands!"
The next day Mike and some other volunteers wanted to try bungee jumping off a bridge for $18. I told Mike that I couldn't watch, so I took a nap back at the hostel while they went on their adventure. Well, they came back, and said they didn't actually go through with it. It was a good thing because it was pretty sketchy I guess! They just tie a bungee to the bridge, and put a platform down. I guess they didn't have the equipment, so nobody was able to do it.
Later, we rented ATVs and buggies and visited some amazing waterfalls, including el Pailón del Diablo, or the Devil's Cauldron. It was a powerful amount of water, and fun to get to with a winding rock staircase (Devil's staircase) and a little tunnel/cave to go through! Then we did a little bit of hiking, and went on a hanging bridge. Next we had a little bit of time before the sun started setting, so we decided to check out another waterfall on the way back. It was pretty, but a mistake to try and fit it in, as it got dark fast! We realized that our buggy didn't have working headlights, taillights, or reflectors. Also, did I mention that the only way back was on the main winding road through multiple tunnels?! Scariest thing in our lives! Also add to the fact that we couldn't go the speed limit, and the locals passed us multiple times by crossing the double yellow line without a second thought! We were doing okay at first following an ATV, then as we were going through the first tunnel, the overhead lights cut out and it was suddenly pitch dark! We were following the ATV, and nobody else was in the tunnel, so we couldn't see anything! We slowed down, but that was even scarier because we were like sitting ducks. We somehow made it through that one, and then went through another, with again, no overhead lights! This time a car was coming full speed the other direction on the two-way tunnel. Mike couldn't see. I screamed, "Move to the right!" I could see a bit, and the car's lights showed that we were riding right in the middle of the road! We made it through! Then, came another one! This time, thank God, we were behind this huge bus, and it was a one-way tunnel. It was the longest of all of the tunnels too! We pulled over to the side after that one, and I got out my phone and used the flashlight as a headlight/taillight. It was the longest half-hour ride home ever!! If I would have known that was going to happen, I would have never gotten on that thing! Scariest. Thing. Ever!
The top left is us trying out a buggy. The one we actually rented was yellow and much faster. I didn't get any pictures from the ride home needless to say!
This is at the Pailón del Diablo!
This is the second waterfall we visited just before our dark ride home!
That night we had a great dinner at this Swiss restaurant with the group. Mike got up early the next morning to go whitewater rafting with the boys! They had a great time, and flipped a few times! I debated going, but realized I was going to be the only girl, and they were doing level 4! I ended up doing some market shopping, and got some more crepes and a spicy cappuccino. It was a really nice weekend, and we're glad to be alive!
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