Baños, Ecuador

Our last week in South America is spent making our way down to Lima, stopping at various places along the way - famous market towns for last minute shopping, beach towns for last minute tanning and, my favorite, the town of Baños for thermal pools, steam baths and massages. Baños, in the foothills of Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano, is surrounded by green peaks which are dripping with waterfalls. Tourists, including Ecuadorians, flock here to soak in one of the many thermal baths.

Above: The main square and church. On the right - one of many touristy shops 

selling "I Love Baños" t-shirts, taffy, pool inflatables and fridge magnets. 

After several looong bus journies the day, and night, before Alex and I spend out first morning in Baños in a 'Steam Box'. This is hard to describe so the picture will have to do. We alternate ten minutes in the steam box with various forms of water torture - wet towels, plunge pools and being sprayed down with a hose - administered by a very bossy woman. We plan to have another steam bath the next morning, but for some reason they're not working, so have a massage instead. $20 for an hour, I really like Baños.

Above: Steam Box (This is not me - in case you've forgotten what I look like).

There is a little wooden bench inside and a door at the front for getting in and out. 

The top also folds down, two half moons making a hole for the neck.

We manage to meet up with some friends we met in Cartagena (Chris, Brenna and Kyle from Vancouver) who invite us to go canyoning with them which, they explain, is basically jumping down small waterfalls and abseiling down big ones.

Kitted up in wetsuits, helmets, harnesses and plimpsoles, we receive very brief instructions on how to abseil ("Hand on rope like this - bad. Hand on rope like this - good!"). Luckily I already know how to abseil.

To get to the water falls we ride in the back of a pickup truck (which is exciting on the windy mountain roads) and short hike (boiling in or wetsuits). The water is lovely and refreshing. We start off walking down the river, climbing down some smaller falls and cooling down in pools.the first abseil is small, about 12ft, but it is a lot harder than normal abseiling. The water makes it impossible to see the surface of the rock and where I can put my foot. Parts are very slippery and I loose my footing, the water now rushing into my face and bashing my knee. Eventually I get the hang of it, although our instructor, Xavier, showed us all up by bouncing down in three or four jumps. In total we abseil down six waterfalls, the highest 45ft, the very last one smooth and sloping enough to slide down on our bums into the pool below. 

*The photos from this are all on a disc, so I will put add them when I get home in a few days (!).*

To sooth our bruises and aching arms we spend the evening in the thermal baths. These are open to everyone at just $3 and very very busy. The main pool reminds me of the scene in Titanic after the ship has sunk and all that is left is a mass of people - shoulder to shoulder, shouting and pushing.

Above: The main pool 

 Slightly more relaxing is the hot pool, at around 45○c. At first I can't go in further than my shins, so I plunge into the near by icy pool and make myself sit there for five minutes. Then I try again. This time I get in the hot pool in one go. Have you ever, in the bath, put your toe under the hot tap, expecting it to be cold, and for a second you can't actually tell the difference? It feels like that, pins and needle-y, all over my body. After just a few seconds the pain goes away and I sit very still as the water around my body cools down. Every now and then someone moves, moving the hot water around me, and I scowl at them. 

I last only a minute or two before I feel faint and sick. This time the freezing pool feels look warm and lovely. After a few more rotations - cold, hot, cold hot - the experience becomes a bit more pleasurable and the difference in temperate between the two pools (seemingly) less and less. After an hour or so I feel thoroughly invigorated and very clean, but also very light headed. 

Above: The hot pool 

On my final day in Baños I would like to say that I hiked up to the "swing on the edge of the world", but we got a taxi, not fancying the four hour hike after such relaxation. We get amazing views of Baños and its waterfalls, and each have several goes on the swing, which is prefectly safe as there is a rope seat belt... 

Above: Baños

 Above: Swing on the edge of the world and La Casa Del Arbol