Agua, Agua, En Todos Partes

We arrive in Baños, a super popular Ecuadorian tourist town, to some surprises - the steep rugged mountains that surround the town and a cool wind gusting.

Baños is an adventure destination that attracts the young and bar-hopping crowd.  We pick a really comfy family-run hostel outside downtown.  We aren’t interested in zip-lining or bungee jumping, but the waterfalls, or cascadas, are a definite lure.

A driver takes us to the incredible waterfalls, or cascadas, just outside Baños.

Ben, who was so brave on the dinky rope swing, balks at first at my suggestion we take this gondola over the first waterfall.

Perhaps he is thinking about this painting in the cathedral in Baños (one of many depicting disasters and miraculous salvations).  In 1889, Paulino Gavilanes was crossing the canyon over the River Pastanza in a 
cage strung on cables, when the cables failed and he fell 200 feet into the river below.  His miraculous survival was attributed to his supplications to the Virgin Mary.  

But I persuade him to fork over $4 so we can ride suspended out over the Pastanza and see the waterfall below.

It looks quite sturdy, don’t you think?

We do get an amazing view right over the waterfall and share the gondola with a family with teen boys.

Back safely, Ben then goes to inspect the operator and his gears.  Maybe better after than before.

Next we are off to Pailon del Diablo, or Devils Cauldron, for the mother of all waterfalls.

The immensity of the water pounding over the sheer cliffs is astounding.

Look closely at the middle of this photo and you will see the people on other side, hundreds and hundreds of steps down the cliffs.

As incredible as the water volume is now,

as we walk the hundred of steps back up to the top, our driver points out that the volume a few months ago was so great all these rocks were covered and the waterfall was closed to visitors, for safety reasons.

Back to the Baños cathedral, it was the most interesting place for us in the town.  We’ve not seen so many paintings devoted to convincing parishioners that miracles really do happen.  This is pretty persuasive considering Baños sits at the foot of an active volcano.

The inscription on this painting reports that in 1797 Baños was covered by a volcanic eruption as was the town of Riobamba.  Then in 1886 another apocalyptic eruption occurred.  But the Mother of God never abandoned them.

So this church represents a very special refuge for the community of Baños.

But just in case, there are plenty of signs around town pointing the way to safe zones in the event el Tungurahua decides to blow.  We don’t make it to any of the famed spas in Baños - they are closed when we show up and we just decide to skip it.  However, we have our cosy hostel and the sound of the roaring river below our windows.  Nice time to curl up and be lulled to sleep.

Dia de Diversión

We add a third night at Bellandia because Angel has offered to take us on an excursion to an indigenous community, and more.  The Kichwan people of the Amazon don’t believe in owning land, but that the land is for the benefit of all.  They  believe plants and animals have souls and are essentially equal to humans. Their beliefs are deeply connnected to Mother Earth.  They strive to keep the forest healthy, as all their well-being, physical and spiritual is deeply rooted in it.

They are well prepared for tourists dropping in.  First, we are treated to face painting, which tickles. The red dye is quite durable as we will find later when we wash our faces and I now have a spot of it permanently on my pants..

A young man introduces us to this boa, which gives me the willies.

These little boys, with their drums, will soon lead the women in a dance..

I am about to join in the dance after being dressed a a grass skirt and beaded top. 

 

I look totally ridiculous and before I know it, they have Ben in a grass skirt!

It is just amazing to try the blow gun that the Kichwan use to hunt small animals and birds.  One puff and the thin wood dart has penetrated the target.

I got a little closer to the target, the red splotch, than Ben.

Besides being posed for silly pictures, we are treated with great hospitality.  Just before we leave we are chatting with a family next door and the husband insists we try chicha out of a communal bowl. Chicha is a fermented beverage made from maize or yucca.  We have heard the women chew the yucca and spit it out  to make the drink.  We gulp and take a sip each.  

Angel has a canoe ride down the river planned.

Our young rower gets us expertly through some rapids in this long dugout wooden canoe.

We pass lots more Kichwan villages with elevated, thatch roof houses hugging the river shore.

Then we are off to another adventure.  We climb hundreds of steps to get to this swing platform.  Now it’s my turn to beg off, as the swing is simply a wooden disc hung on a rope. This time Ben agrees to try it.  Angel tells him to only swing out 3 times.  But on the third return, Angel slips and can’t pull Ben in.  It takes a couple more returns before he can drag Ben back and get him off the swing (Angel wrapped a big chain around him to secure him in the swing - jungle safety measure).

I am super relieved Ben is back on solid ground.  The back up plan was to reach a long bamboo pole to him and pull him back from dangling over the precipice.

This place also has a cave, carved out of the hillside to resemble some indigenous design.  Very hokey and muddy inside too.  Bats go flying out around our heads.

It was quite a day of adventures!  We get back to Bellandia for our final dinner and a beautiful sunset.  Angel heads home on his motorcycle after he and Alexander make our dinner. 

In the morning it’s time to say “Hasta luego,” to these guys who have taken such good care of us and head to Baños.

Libro de La Selva

Waiting for us at the Puyo bus terminal is our first lady taxi driver, who Bellandia (the eco-lodge we picked from the alluring reviews on TripAdvisor) has sent to fetch us.  She’s a great driver, and is giving her husband a break from his 10 hour/6 day a week job driving.  Bellandia is 20 minutes off the main road, along a very rocky road, winding through farms carved out of the jungle.  They grow a lot of potatoes.

Bellandia offers 2 eco-cabañas made of rammed earth and with their own private terraces and astounding views over the river valley and the layers of mountains into the distance.

Our cabaña has unique round windows and is really comfy.

It’s a paradise of green!  The mountains get cloaked in clouds, then reappear.  The temperature is cool, not what we expected.

This crazy looking bug is just one strange sight in this exotic world.

Ben will return to this hammock many times over the next three days.

When we check in, We meet Angel and Alexander, neither of whom speak English.  They are sweet young guys!  It turns out that Ben and I are the only guests this week.

First we just have to wander around and take in all the tropical green.

We have this bad habit of just setting off without thinking things through.  Ben is wearing flip flops and I have on sandals.  After we kick through leaf litter along the dense jungle trail, i start remembering how in Costa Rica John A. hired a young guide to ward off snakes ahead of us.  I stop in my tracks and tell Ben we are idiots.  We turn around and cautiously return.  I find Angel and ask him if we should be wearing hiking boots.  He says, “No - botas!” and leads us to try on knee high rubber jungle boots.  

Now with proper footwear, Angel offers to take us to the first waterfall on Bellandia’s property. 

Along the way, Angel points out tiny orchids we never would have noticed. 

He finds a tiny black frog, the size of a tack head, and the smallest frog in the Amazon.

It’s time for wading now.

We hear the waterfall ahead.

Angel tells me I must get the waterfall  massage, it will be so good for me!  I venture under it and the pounding about takes off my shirt.

Ben comes out to try it too and gets a beating.

When we circle around and return back on the bridge Ben and I had discovered earlier, Angel is surprised to learn we had ventured out that far alone.  Crazy gringos, he might be thinking.

We are fascinated by the millions of leaf cutter ants everywhere, including into our room sometimes.  

A trail of thousands of them each carrying a leaf many times larger than they are creates a  startling sight, resembling a snake.

Next day, Angel has a bigger outing planned - a trek to Bellandia’s large waterfall and pool for a swim.

We get lots of lessons about the indigenous Kichwa people and their medicinal uses of jungle flora and fauna.

Angel plunges his hand into this termite nest and waits til his hand is crawling with termites.

Then he rubs the termites into his hands and arms and has us take a whiff of the smell.  It smells like wood sap and is a strong natural insect repellent Angel says will last 3 days.

Then he slices into this tree which oozes “sangre” or “blood” sap.   

When Angel spreads the sap on my wrist it dries to look like Calomine lotion and is effective for bites and healing cuts.

Now he has us tasting these tiny ants, which taste lemony.

This exotic orchid is captivating,

along with so many new and strange plants, many of which have medicinal properties.  Angel often tells us a plant has cancer curing abilities.

The second waterfall is just huge! I get closer and it creates its own wind, forcing me backwards. No way am I going to attempt a “massage” under this!

Angel adjusts the water flow into the “pool” by adjusting a gate, and settles down to watch us splash around.  The water is chilly, but fun.

Drenched, we head out a back way to connect with the road for a steep walk back to Bellandia.  A truck comes along and the driver stops to chat and offers us a ride.  We squeeze in the back with this sweet couple who warmly welcome us.  They are all happy to pose for a picture before waving “hasta luego” at Bellandia.

Alexander and Angel get busy making us dinner.  It feels a little odd to be waited on by the two of them, but we enjoy the generous pours of red wine and waiting to discover what we are going to eat.  At dark we walk carefully along the lighted path back to our cabaña, with only the sounds of tropical birds.  We are smitten with the fireflies that dart around lazily and settle into the jungle night.