Banos and burglary!

Saludos,

I hope all is well with you all in the US! I am sorry I havent written in awhile...well actually I did write a nice long email that I was going to use as the base for this post about my adventures last weekend...then the internet froze up in the internet cafe where I was writing and I lost everything after about an hours worth of work...and still had to pay for it! Like I have said before...they charge for everything here!

So to recap...if I can remember!

Last weekend I traveled with another student, Mollie, to a small town called Banos, nestled in the mountains about 3.5 hours southeast of Quito. We took a trolley from our school to the brand new bus terminal about 45 minutes away in South Quito and then took a 3.5 hour bus ride to Banos. The town, whose name means "baths" (not just bathroom for those of you who recognize the word)...is known for its fresh water pools, full of mineral rich water that flows from the surrounding mountains and volcanoes. There is one hot (more like warm) water pool and various cold water pools. The town is full of tourists, Ecuadorian and foreign alike...and reminded me very much of the Asheville-Chimney Rock area.

After dinner Friday night (at an eclectic little restaurant that had some mediterrean dishes...I was missing humus and finally got some that sort of hit the spot!...the food here is good but there it is nice to have something to remind you of home from time to time), we were off to bed early--my first time staying in a hostal....and actually my first time traveling somewhere without a guide or travel companion that knew the area! The hostal was nice...private room with a hot shower....free internet and a fire pit in the lobby, all for only 9.50 for a night per person...I almost felt like a backpacker (the town was full of them).

Saturday morning we woke up early, scouted out some fresh bread and fruit for breakfast and then set out on our adventure--our goal was to ride the bikes we had rented for $5 all the way to Puyo, a town that sits on the border of the Amazon...61 kilometers (I think that is about 38 miles away). Along the journey, there are more waterfalls and beautiful sites than one can count. We set out, winding through the mountains until we arrived at the first waterfall. We took a cable car across a gorge and then hiked around a bit on the other side. After crossing a small bridge near the top of the waterfall...we paid a man 10 cents to let us use a trail that takes you closer to the water...I kinda snuck around the fence near the edge to capture a picture of the fall from the top when the man wasn't looking! We hiked around a bit more, admired the nature and the avocado, taxo, and plaintain plants and then ran into the Bodega de Los Contrabandistas del Aguardiente (The Cellar/Hideout of the Contrabands of Aguardiente)....a few kilometers up there once existed a sugar plantations. These contrabandistas would make Aguardiente--a sugar cane alcohol very typical in Ecuador--and transport and sell the moonshine when it was illegal.

We left this fall and continued on our journey..passing through the first tunnel--which was terrifying! It was a narrow tunnel carved into the mountain with no sidewalks...completely pitch black...full of bikers, buses, and large trucks. I felt really dumb when I realized I still had my sunglasses on and that perhaps taking them off would help the situation...which it did...but not by much!

The next fall we came to is more well known and also has a cable car. We took the cable car...which is 100 meters above the bottom of the gorge...over the top of the Manta de la Novia (Veil of the Novia) Cascade. It was beautiful! Here, we hiked around a bit until we found the casita (small house) where a mom and her son sell a few Ecuadorian specialities to passersby. We shared a grilled plaintain (delicious) and then paid her son a quarter to let us take pictures with Rafeal--his pet monkey. They had bought the monkey in the jungle and brought it back to their home in the mountains...although this is illegal it is the second mono (monkey) I have encountered.

We continued along on our bikes for quite some time until we reached the infamous Pailleon del Diable (Devil's Cauldron). After hiking downhill for about 10 minutes, we had a snack overlooking the beautiful river and admiring the forest...which I should mentioned was getting slightly more tropical as we biked further away from the mountains and towards the jungle. After paying a dollar, we were permitted to hike up a few minutes to actually see the cauldren. It was beautiful! This waterfall was huge! And so loud we could hardley hear one another. We viewed the amazing fall from the three balconies...trying to take pictures without soaking our cameras. We opted out of passing underneath the fall because everyone who did so was completely drenched. It was amazing! I got a decent picture of the face of the devil that appears naturally in the stone next to the fall...This place was truly beautiful.

We set off again on our bikes..winding through the mountains. Although my legs were burning and the seats of the bikes were anything but comfortable...we soldiered on! We passed by another spot where you can hike past 8 more waterfalls of various sizes, but we knew if we stopped we wouldn't make it to our destination.

As we got further away from Banos, the vegetation became greener and more tropical. I couldn't help but feel somewhat at peace and relaxed and also a bit sad. It amazed me how much the natural beauty I was witnessing made me think of those I loved and missed. There were parts of the day that made me think of many of you for different reasons, and I wished very much that you all could see what I was seeing through my eyes...or even better, experience it with me. It was bittersweet.

In the end, we made it nearly to our destination...but not quite! 55 km and about 8 hours after we set out on our journey...it was starting to get dark. We caught a bus back to banos...proud of what we accomplished!

After dinner and converstaion with some fellow travelers (three girls from Switzerland and a guy from LA...the majority of the foreigners I have met here are either from Germany, Switzerland, or the US) we went to bed hurting but happy! The next morning, we put on our bathing suits and set off for the mineral pools, but by 8:30 in the morning they were packed full! Luckily, we got our money back and instead wandered around town and tried a few of the towns specialities...candy!

We watched a man cut down stalks of sugarcane and then give them to his wife who fed them through a machine that compressed them and removed sugar water. It was so sweet I couldnt drink it and I don't understand how Ecuadorians enjoy it (it was like 95% sugar 5% water). We bought some hard taffy that the town is known for and a few other treats. A little note about the food culture here..while there are regional differences in food (more fish and plaintains in the coast, more potatoes and rice in the mountains)...any honest Ecuadorian will admit that the people here have a terrible sweet tooth like no other. I think because of this sweet tooth, they also love their salt because all the food is packed with one or the other. My new favorite, however, is Ahi. Ahi itself is a type of chili pepper, but the word also refers to the hot sauce made in a variety of manners from the pepper and served with every meal (right next to the sugar, of course). After trying a few sweets, we then spent an hour or two by the pool at a nearby hotel.

We caught the bus back, hoping for another 3.5 hour ride, but it ended up being much longer and more dramatic! First, it left a little late...then because Quito is higher in elevation moved a little slower....Two vendors entered the bus to sell candy (a normal practice here...vendors are allowed to get on the bus, try to sell their food or whatever they have and then usually get off a minute later), but usually vendors are women or children and they usually get off right away. These two black men, one in his late teens, early twenties, the other older--did not get off the bus. The older man stood in the back while the younger, standing in the front, gave some sad speech about how he is really hard working and does this on the side to help him get by...yadadada. I didnt trust the man in the back and kept an eye on him. I was especially suspicious when after about 10, 15 minutes they were still on the bus and he wasnt using the handrails but instead was standing with his hands above...in the overhead comparments about three rows behind us. I told Mollie to jump up quickly and see what he was doing...when she did, it turned out his hand was in her backpack...with all of the pockets opened. She asked him what he was doing well I told people in front the get the drivers assistant/ticket holder guy. They stopped the bus (luckily just as we were pulling up to a toll with police officers) and kicked them off. Luckily she didnt have anything important in her bag! To add to that drama, a bit later the bus was stopped because just moments before a car had flipped completely over in the road. I am assuming everyone inside was okay because when we finally passed by, a group of men were flipping it right side up.

In the end, I did not want to return home! My family here is sweet as can be, but nothing beats the beauty of the mountains and forests and waterfalls. I was not looking forward to classes or toward returning to a city, but return we did! Classes went well this week...I have much I want to write about my volunteer work with the kids and about the politics and culture I have been observing and studying...but this email is quite long so that will have to wait....for a preview----Hugo Chavez is starting drama and I was "cleaned" of bad energy by a medicine man who smoked, spit sugarcane alcohol, and blew fire at me and the other students....can't wait to tell you more!

Until next time, cuidate! Take Care!