Adventures in Baños

I'm in love with Baños. It might not have anything and everything one would ask for in the perfect town, but it sure does pack a lot into the few square miles between the canyon and the mountain.

Before we arrived in Baños, some acquaintances had described it to us as the "adventure capital of Ecuador". Well, we didn't have any desire to participate in puente-ing (i.e. jumping off a bridge) or renting a four-wheeler, but at breakfast each morning, our hosts would help us figure out the best way to see Baños on a budget.

Baños got its name from the hot springs around town. The thermal waters come from the volcano at the southwest edge of town and the minerals in the water are said to have healing properties. We didn't notice any health benefits, but it did give me the chance to wear this awesome bathing cap in public!

We broke down one day and rented bikes to follow the "Ruta de las Cascadas". At our last waterfall, the Devil's Cauldron, you could sneak behind it if you were willing to get down on your hands and knees, crawl through a stone tunnel, and ignore the trail of blood from some unlucky (re: tall) soul who'd come before. I'm pretty short, so I went for it.

Ok, and then our other big splurge, which I'd been looking forward to ever since we'd heard about the horseback riding in Baños, was to hire Antonio Banderas and his horses, Saddam Hussein, John Travolta, and Leonardo DiCaprio, for a ride through the countryside.

It's been a while for Zac and even longer for me, so when we saw an opportunity to practice, we jumped at our chance...

...ok, it wasn't much help. I survived our trip and didn't fall off the horse (even though mine was Saddam Hussein), and I'm looking forward to lots more riding in the future.

In any case, we had a fabulous time in Baños. One week was not enough. But even though we've moved on, I have a feeling we'll be back one of these days.This love affair isn't over yet!