Baños, Ecuador

From Quito I traveled 3 hours south to the town of Baños, Ecuador. It was a small town set in a beautiful valley with steep green mountains on either side. Its claim to fame and namesake derive from the thermal springs that created thermal pools or “baños”. Other than the thermal pools there are number jungle hikes, rafting trips, and gorgeous waterfalls in the area. There are also a number of day spas and massage parlors to go with the relaxing hot springs. I spent a couple of days in Baños, but I could have easily spent more.









Besides its tourism Baños had a few other unique items to offer. There were the taffy candy stands where they mixed it and streched it right on the street. Then there were the sugarcane stands with bundles of cane to chew on. Between the both of these products and all of the soda consumption it was easy to see why there are so many dentists in Ecuador. Finally, the most unique and grusome treat was the roasted guinea pig, skinned with gnawing teeth on display. What you see is what you get.











Besides visiting the thermal pools during the day and then at night I rented a mountain bike to ride out of town where it drops off towards the upper amazon basin and leads to a number of impressive waterfalls. The first day I got out of town and managed to get two flat tires. The next day I made to the falls without a problem and got to see the gorgeous “Pailon de Diablo” waterfall. There were stairs almost up to the top with a niche behind the falls to see the wall of water.




















Wood paneling