9/13/08
The bus ride was terrifying as usual. But instead of the normal terror of hitting a pedestrian or car, this time it was the drive through the Andes. At times the road was barely wide enough for two cars and right next to the toad was a 1000 foot cliff. And of course if a car or truck was going too slow the driver passed him. But we did get to watch Fast and the Furious 1,2,&3 and also the beginning of Torque; four award quality movies. I think these might be the movies the Ecuadorian bus drivers watch when they learn to drive. Guayaquil was an ugly bustling city that smells bad. I'm glad we didn't spend any time there. On the plane right now waiting to leave for the Galapagos Islands. I am extremely excited as I believe this will be the highlight of our trip.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
We didn't even go to the hot springs
9-10-08
So we arrived in Banos which is famous for its hot springs. We spent three days there and didn't even make it to the hot springs. Oh well. The town was still a lot of fun. We woke up early and I began this blog. I got about two days worth complete and then we left to wander around town. Banos is this little town surrounded by huge green mountains on all sides. Everybody here is very nice as it is kind of a tourist town. We had some empenadas for breakfast and then rented some bikes. We began riding out of Banos and down toward the next town. Now it was enjoyable but we rode right on the road, yes the same road that the crazy bus drivers use. (We arrived when it was dark so I had no idea what the road was like. I'm glad it was dark because I would have panicked knowing the bus driver was driving as fast as he was with a gigantic cliff right next to us. Hey I'm assuming they train their bus drivers to avoid driving off cliffs, so we were probably safe) At one point we had to go through a tunnel that was pitch black. It was kind of terrifying. Next to the road was also about a 1000 foot cliff that led to a river. The highlight of the ride was the 6 or 7 waterfalls across the river. We stopped in a small town and hiked down to the river where there was a bridge across and a great view of a waterfall. We ate lunch and then negotiated with a truck driver who drove us back into Banos so I could make my 2pm Spanish lesson. The lesson was good. I got to talk with the teacher for two hours just in Spanish which was good practice. There are mostly English speaking people at the hostels so it is heard to practice Spanish. After the lesson we went to a bar to watch the Ecuador-Uraguay soccer game. They tied 0-0 (kind of boring). Not as good as being there. We went to dinner and then came back tot he hostel and played card games. A good day.
9/11/08
Today we woke up and went to this sort of farmer's market. We had fried egg, rice, chorizo, avocado, lettuce, potato cakes and beets with a cup of coffee for $2. I also purchased 3 $0.10 empenadas for later. What can I say? I like to eat. We hiked up a trail to this statue and hung out for a while. We then hiked down and stopped at the market again. Our fried Diego, from Guadalajara had never had South American empenadas before. He at 11. Unger and I each had 4. Unger and I went back to the hostel for a nap while the girls and Diego went to do a form of bungie jumping. You jump off a bridge and when the rope catches you swing back and forth. It only costs $15 and DIego was able to go twice for $20. What a smoking deal. Even with that great price I still just didn't feel the urge to go. If I'm going to plummet to my death I want to have paid more than $10 to do so. Unger and I decided to cook dinner at the hostel. We made pasta with meat sauce and melted chees. It tasted pretty good. We then went to a bar to meet my two teachers and another student (girl from Colorado). We sang Karoake (not me, but Unger sang Back Street Boys) and went back to the hostel and went to bed.
9/12/08
We woke up this morning, went and ate breakfast at the same place as yesterday and are now on a 7 hour bus ride to Guayaquil. Hopefully it will only take 7 hours (and we will live). Tomorrow we leave for the Galapagos Islands. More to report later.
So we arrived in Banos which is famous for its hot springs. We spent three days there and didn't even make it to the hot springs. Oh well. The town was still a lot of fun. We woke up early and I began this blog. I got about two days worth complete and then we left to wander around town. Banos is this little town surrounded by huge green mountains on all sides. Everybody here is very nice as it is kind of a tourist town. We had some empenadas for breakfast and then rented some bikes. We began riding out of Banos and down toward the next town. Now it was enjoyable but we rode right on the road, yes the same road that the crazy bus drivers use. (We arrived when it was dark so I had no idea what the road was like. I'm glad it was dark because I would have panicked knowing the bus driver was driving as fast as he was with a gigantic cliff right next to us. Hey I'm assuming they train their bus drivers to avoid driving off cliffs, so we were probably safe) At one point we had to go through a tunnel that was pitch black. It was kind of terrifying. Next to the road was also about a 1000 foot cliff that led to a river. The highlight of the ride was the 6 or 7 waterfalls across the river. We stopped in a small town and hiked down to the river where there was a bridge across and a great view of a waterfall. We ate lunch and then negotiated with a truck driver who drove us back into Banos so I could make my 2pm Spanish lesson. The lesson was good. I got to talk with the teacher for two hours just in Spanish which was good practice. There are mostly English speaking people at the hostels so it is heard to practice Spanish. After the lesson we went to a bar to watch the Ecuador-Uraguay soccer game. They tied 0-0 (kind of boring). Not as good as being there. We went to dinner and then came back tot he hostel and played card games. A good day.
9/11/08
Today we woke up and went to this sort of farmer's market. We had fried egg, rice, chorizo, avocado, lettuce, potato cakes and beets with a cup of coffee for $2. I also purchased 3 $0.10 empenadas for later. What can I say? I like to eat. We hiked up a trail to this statue and hung out for a while. We then hiked down and stopped at the market again. Our fried Diego, from Guadalajara had never had South American empenadas before. He at 11. Unger and I each had 4. Unger and I went back to the hostel for a nap while the girls and Diego went to do a form of bungie jumping. You jump off a bridge and when the rope catches you swing back and forth. It only costs $15 and DIego was able to go twice for $20. What a smoking deal. Even with that great price I still just didn't feel the urge to go. If I'm going to plummet to my death I want to have paid more than $10 to do so. Unger and I decided to cook dinner at the hostel. We made pasta with meat sauce and melted chees. It tasted pretty good. We then went to a bar to meet my two teachers and another student (girl from Colorado). We sang Karoake (not me, but Unger sang Back Street Boys) and went back to the hostel and went to bed.
9/12/08
We woke up this morning, went and ate breakfast at the same place as yesterday and are now on a 7 hour bus ride to Guayaquil. Hopefully it will only take 7 hours (and we will live). Tomorrow we leave for the Galapagos Islands. More to report later.
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