As you can probably make out this is a very scenic place. One photo I couldnt get was of the smoking volcano that sits behind the city. The top of the volcano was covered in clouds while we were there. A couple that left later than us took a photo of it, and you could see a plume of smoke. The last eruption this one including lava was in 2002. The last I heard they had to start evacuating people again a few weeks after left there due to seismologists predicting another eruption.
I went on this trip with 5 Swiss who I met at school. They was great lovers of the outdoors but also appeared to have the passion to run up mountains so to speak. We decided on a bike trip to Puyo the largest jungle town of the Oriente and 61km from Banos. Most people make it to the large waterfall which was 25km away. The 25km was spectacular cycling usually sharing the roads with buses and cars, and then veering off when a tunnel appears. This is where you see some interesting sites including a bridge which includes the Ecuadorian version of bungee jumping. A person gets strapped to a rope thrown of the bridge you dont bounce but you swing like a pendulum under the bridge. When we got here a girl was standing on top of the bridge that had a go and didn't seem to like it very much. We made out way to points where you catch a flying fox basket over a river, where we went for a hike. The gears on my bike seemed to decide on their own what they wanted to be in when I went uphill. So the cycling became hard. I decided at the 25km to stop along with one of the girls.
So as you do in Ecuador we got ourselves back to the road put our hand out to flag down a vehicle, which in our case was the bus. There are no bus stops, buses stop anywhere, and if you dont get picked up on a bus a truck or utility van will usually pick you up and you ride in the back with other locals or travellers. We made our way to Puyo which was weird. The largest town of the jungle you have exotic visions however this was a concrete jungle which seemed to be full of internet cafes and telephone booths. A little disappointing. However a short stroll out of one side of the town you came accross a little village which you imagine to see in a jungle town, together with the football field which seems the norm for anywhere in sth america.
We waited on the bus back to Banos and we waited with vendors coming on board selling everythng you can imagine. The bus was around 1/2 late as it wasnt full, it left not quiet full, so we did a couple of laps of the town while a person yelled out Banos Banos, just in case someone may at the last moment want to go to Banos. We collected one or two people and then made our way hurrah. But wait the driver got hungry so we stopped off at a tiny little vendor and waited another 1/2 hour while the driver had something to eat. We made our way then picking up people on the road and got to Banos, 61km and nearly 3 hours later. The bus system is not like I was use to!!
The following day i did a hike up into some scenic mountain area, where a snarling dog stopped me completing a 6 km walk. Apparently the dog is well known amongst others who have done this trail, and if the owner is out some have made a small donation to him and you can pass. Unfortunately i walked slowly backwards and settled for a 3km stroll. The locals I passed were all very lovely saying hello and some entering into a small conversation with my Spanish levels. I recommend a trip to Baños for those that travel to Ecuador.
Comments