Baños

We went on our first weekend excursion today, it has been a long time. We drove "our" truck to the town of Baños, or literally translated as baths. If is called this because it sits at the base of the Tungurahua volcano that rises to over 16,000 feet. Because of the proximity of this volcano, there are many hot springs. Most people when they think of a country located on the equator wouldn't want to go to a hot springs, but the weather just 35 miles up the road from us in Baños is very different. There is bright sunshine and a very brisk springlike feel. In fact, a dip in the hot springs would probably feel very good. Although it is very close on the odometer, it takes a little over an hour to get there. The road is really in good condition, but because of curves, terrain, falling rocks, ect, it takes a while. There are 5 tunnels to drive through in just this short stretch, and the change in topography and vegetation is very impressive. For those of you that come and see us, we will surely make the trip to Baños, very neat little town.


Here is the town center of Baños. Most towns in Latin America are centered and built around a Catholic church and a plaza which sits in front of it. The town of Baños is very clean and even a little European. We will be sure to take some more weekend juants here.


Me and my baby girl in front of the Baños Cathedral. There was a wedding happening there when we walked by. It looked like a really fun time!


This is called Bridal Veils Falls. It drops a little over 300 feet and is easily seen from the road. We pulled over and snapped a few photos. If you look closely at the top of the waterfall and a little to the left, you will see a little red dot. That is the cable trolley that spans the mile wide gap and takes you to the other side of the Pastaza River flowing below. You can ride it for just a few dollars, and I am going to do it some time. It probably holds about 5-6 people safely.