Banos

Chaos...that is the only way to describe the scene at the Baltra airport on our way off the island. So many people... where were they all for the last 8 days? We are happy to report that, at the most, we saw two other ships on our daily excursions. That was not the case at the airport. So few airline attendants...Craig waited in line three times. When he got to the front of the line the first time, our baggage had not arrived from the boat. When we got to the front of the line the second time, we were told that they weren't checking in our flight yet. When we got to the front of the line the third time, the line stopped moving for at least 20 minutes. When the attendants did start working again, we had to contend with so many groups and their pushy guides. We had no guide at that point so we had to push back. Finally, we checked in and headed to the security line up. It was so long and so slow that we were afraid we were going to miss our flight. When we got through that line up, they were boarding our flight. Lynda headed to the bathroom while Craig waited by the departure gate. Funnily enough, he was hassled by the same girl who took her own sweet time checking us in. All of a sudden she was in a hurry for us to board the plane. Too bad sister. Nature was calling. Baltra to Guayaquil, Guayaquil to Quito. We flew all the way from Vancouver without so much as a packet of pretzels. Thank you Aerogal for both the meal and the snack. After collecting our luggage we said goodbye to Anna, Paul, Elizabeth, Scott and Emily and exited the arrivals area. It was wonderful to see Ivan waiting for us, especially since it was already 3:30 pm. He had agreed to transport us to Banos. We had a pleasant drive and enjoyable conversation, and we arrived three and a half hours later.

Banos is the adventure hub of Ecuador. Backpackers are drawn to it for the canyoning, ziplining, horseback riding, hiking, rafting, cycling and "puenting." (Puenting is like bungy jumping without the bounce.) We weren't there for any of that. We were there for some relaxation. Luckily for us, we were staying outside of town in a place called Finca Chamanapamba. It is located below Tungurahua, an active volcano, but it was cloudy and overcast while we were there so we didn't see anything. It is also located beside the Chamana waterfall. There is something so peaceful about the sound of running water. When we first arrived Regina and Dietrich were away on the coast. Their son, Oliver, was very helpful and informative. He directed us to a hiking trail on the other side of the suspension bridge (Sauce) and through the hills which would take us, in a roundabout way, to town. As usual, Craig was ready and raring to go. Lynda, less so. She was worried about hiking without a local and Craig's expensive camera equipment. In the end, we went and encountered very few people. We ended up in town where we visited the Parque Central and the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Agua Santa.

The next day, Regina and Dietrich were back. We really wanted to go to La Casa del Arbol so Regina arranged for a taxi driver to come and pick us up. Marcello spoke about as much English as we spoke Spanish, but he was very kind and attentive. He drove us up to the famous swing, waited with us while we took our turn, then drove us down to Luna Runtun spa/hotel and dropped us off. We had tea and dessert in the restaurant, then hiked down the mountain and back into Banos. The swing is placed in such a way that you feel like you are swinging into the clouds. It is a very exhilarating experience and it makes for some awesome photos. In addition, to the excellent food at Finca Chamanapamba, Lynda fell in love with their adorable little dog, Anya. It's a good thing she had such a loving home, otherwise Tilly would have had a little sister.

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