This past weekend was a great one! I was well needed and helped take my mind off of all the crappy things going on right now. Three of us went to Banos which is about 4 hours by bus from Quito. A direct car trip would only run about 2 hours, but when you take the bus here they stop for anybody that wants to get on. They just stand on the side of the road and the bus stops and they get on, even when there are no more seats. Venders get on and peddle their food and other items and then get off when the want to. It is really quite interesting. However, many people do not shower regularly here (I understand why with the short supply of HOT water) so the bus had an interesting aroma. We did opt for the more expensive bus ($3.50 on way) so there were no animals or chickens or anything like that on the bus. We sorta flew by the seat of your pants this weekend, no reservations, no plans..just went for it. We found a nice, clean hotel with three beds and a clean HOT shower with lots of water pressure. The bed was soft and the pillow fluffy. I could have stayed there for a week. It rained the whole time we were there but we were not discouraged. We got out, explored and experienced it all..after we all took HOT showers and a little nap in our comfy beds! Banos is known for its thermal hot baths. It is close to an active volcano and 5 years ago was completely destoyed by it. On Saturday afternoon we all had massages and relaxed. That night we found a really nice place for dinner and then a cute little bar that opened to the street so we could people watch. People here are unable to say my name so now I just lie and tell them it is Maria Rodriguez. It is much better this way. They do not get frustrated trying to say my name and I do not laugh at their attempts. Sunday we slept in and then headed for the baths. I must admit that I was really gun shy about getting in, but figured I had not gotten too sick yet and most anything I catch they can probably cure in the states..so what the hell. We did stand out and we were the only Americans there, but it was one of those things you just have to experience. After about 20 minutes we were done with that adventure and it was back to the hotel for another HOT shower (knowing it would be at least another week until I was home and able to take a hot shower I took full advantage of the opportunity there!). We rented a taxi with a guide for the afternoon and went sight seeing. It truely was the best part of the trip thus far. Banos is beautiful and lush. It is the beginning of the Amazon and the topography is amazing. Green everywhere and lots of water. We rode a cable car across a massive gorge that was suspended by cables (I was a bit nervious) and crossed a suspension bridge that I was concerned might fall. Needless to say, I survived. We hiked to the Paleon del Diablo waterfall which is amazing. I took lots of pictures and was drenched by the time we got back up the mountain. It was well worth the lack of oxygen, sore legs and rain! On the return trip we had a great view of Cotpaxi which is the largest active volcano in the world. It was not erupting at the time and the peak is covered in snow, but it is impressive. When we returned there were two more girls staying at our house. They are cute. High school girls from Montana. Anyway, I need to wrap this up. I have lots to get finished this week, as I am going away to the coast for the last 4 days of my trip this weekend with a friend. School is going fine, although I am not progressing as quickly as I would have liked, I am really builidng on my vocabulary and verb tenses which have always given my problems. My confidence in the language grows each day which was my first priority so I am happy. Take care and I will talk to all later!
Amy
