After the craziness of Latacunga and the Loop, we bussed it down to Baños, a town known for its many spas and thermal waters, and not so much for its amazing bathrooms, as its name might indicate.
The bus trip to Baños from Latacunga was a bit testing. It started out with Bea laying some knowledge on our taxi driver, who was extremely persistent to learn how much we made and spent in a week. He became silent when we told him we spend, on average, a good $10 less per day than what he did. We were dropped off at a bus stop and told by the taxi driver and the bus's wingman that it was in fact a direct bus to Baños. Not only was it not direct, it didn't even GO there...we had to change buses at another stop. When the dishonest wingman finally admitted it want the right bus, I may or may have said a few curse words in Spanish. There were quite a few "oooooooooh"s, similar to what you hear in elementary school when someone pops their bag of milk in the cafeteria, from the other passengers. Once we finally reached Baños, we lucked out and found a great hostel. Immediately, we dropped our bags in our PRIVATE room and headed out for the markets. The remainder of the day revolved around food - outdoor fruit and veggie market, tienda, panaderia, supermarket, back to tienda, back to panaderia, specialty store for peanut butter, and finally, back to the hostel to prepare it all. The rest of the day was spent recovering, relaxing, and reading...until Bea suggested we do a 20-minute P-90X Yoga workout. Intrigued but having never really done yoga before, we consented and took our namaste stances. I once attended a "relaxation yoga" class that involved lots of pillows and nap-inducing "poses." This was nothing like that. There were lots of twisty-pretzel poses with transitions involving slow push-ups and occasionally with the use of only one arm...yea, not okay. We truly did try, but after about 12 minutes, we maintained the upwards-facing dog pose for minutes at a time and watched Bea's ex-marine self in admiration and disbelief. After that craziness, Hannah and I selected an activity that exercised the brain...Bananagrams! The best word used that night was definitely "wanks," compliments of the one and only Bea.
In the morning, we headed down to the main square to rent bikes for the day! After finding some great mountain bikes with good shocks and all the protective equipment one could desire, we pedaled away to explored the grassy mountains of the area. The beginning of our ride consisted of coasting, admiring the beautiful scenery and many waterfalls, and NOT getting hit by cars. Bike-riding in general is very cathartic and relaxing...especially when you are just cruising along. However, pedaling up mountain roads at 2000+ meters is quite tiring and breath-taking for the wrong reasons. I was breathing so quickly at the top of the hill it almost sounded like laughter. At one point, we locked the bikes up and headed down to the base of a waterfall, only to realize we weren't willing to spend the money to pay an entrance fee to see it, especially since we had already passed six or seven beautiful falls. Classic!
We continued on for 60km, passing small roadside towns, dramatic valleys, winding rivers, rolling mountains, and green pastures, stopping occasionally to take a picture or breathe. There was also a pitstop made in a small town in order to refuel with some ice cream and riverside views. One particular roadside town called Mera that had quite a it of character - parents walking their kids home from school, antique home fronts, and obvious sense of community. Unfortunately, it was also home to many dogs, one of whom chased after Bea as she passed while another ran in font of her tire, causing her to all off. She had a pretty decent abrasion on her knee, but like a rockstar, she carried on for the remaining 12 kilometers. Fatigue, back and leg spasms, and desire to just breathe at a regular rate made the last stretch seem longer than it was...but we DID it! As soon as we started seeing signs indicating we had reached our destination town of Puyo, we immediately hopped off our bikes, walked them across the street and caught the second bus that approached us back to Baños. During the hour-plus bus ride, the sense of accomplishment set in and I was able to appreciate the entire experience.
We started the recovery process with a phenomenal veggie sandwiches I've ever tasted from "Blah Blah Cafe," a small but very expressive cafe with three tables and one very talented owner/waitress/chef. when we passed by the panaderia, the owner saw Bea's knee and said, "I even told you there to be careful when you left my store yesterday!" It's true, he did! The rest of the evening was spent doing our respective quiet activities and reflecting on the day. The best mental image of that journey: stopping to breathe/take in the scenery while each one of us bobbed our heads to our different tunes.
We caught an hauntingly beautiful sunset over the dramatic mountains and rolling farmlands on our bus ride to Cuenca the following day. At one point, we rode through a cloud forest that only allowed a few thin rays of bright orange to penetrate it's thick fog. We stumbled upon a decent hostel, again with a private room (starting to feel spoiled), and immediately headed out to find food. Though the first two recommendations from our hostel owner fell through, we found a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant that had HUMMUS! Apparently, hummus is one of the things Hannah and I crave the most on this trip, as evidenced by the small, celebratory dance parties that occur each time we find it.
The next morning was spent semi-participating in (but mostly observing) Bea's marine "burpees," squats, and run exercises. Halfway through, we realized there was a couple trying to enjoy their breakfast 10 feet away while we were sweating profusely and making all sorts of crazy gym noises. During the rest of the day, we simply walked around and explored the town. Unfortunately, everything seemed to shut down for the two days we happened to be there, which definitely inhibited our ability to get a true feel for the community. The buildings themselves provided quite a bit of character and we did stumble upon a few food markets, so not all was lost. Let's just say, there was lots of relaxing at coffee shops and eateries :) Hannah and I are kinda amazing at that! In the evening of our second day in Cuenca, our two-part bus trip across the border to Peru began!
Ecuador...you are a rock star of the southern hemisphere, my friend. Thanks for the memories!
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