L I V I N Large in Ecuador: Roger was Here!! (Part 1)

We had an awesome visit this month with Spencer's dad, Roger. It was so fun to have him here and see Ecuador through his fresh eyes! As I already posted, we spent his first 2 days in Quito, showing him the Middle of the World monument, the Historic Old City, Spencer's school and our favorite park. Then we left Quito for an epic 5 day trip through the countryside.

We headed south to see Cotopaxi. Unfortunately, we encountered the worst weather we've had in Ecuador to date and despite being in the foothills of this beautiful snow capped 19,000 ft mountain, we were unable to see it! What a loss for Roger, but we still managed to have an amazing time at our "off the beaten path" hostel for one night called the Secret Garden. It was an adventure just getting there as we had to travel nearly 20 kms up a cobblestone road as it climbed up the mountain. Then we took a dirt farm road for 3 kms to reach the hostel. But it was well worth it and such a wonderful evening.

Approaching the hostel, you can see the red buildings nestled in the hillside. There was nothing else for miles around and the peace and tranquility was amazing.

Our cabanas.

Views from our Cabana. Cotopaxi is just a few miles dead ahead. Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to see it -this time.

Spencer went on a 2 hour hike to the waterfall. He returned a little wet, but had a good time.

We made a fire in our cabana to help warm him up.

Otherwise, we had no heat or electricity in our 'rustic' cabins. But, what a treat to be so disconnected!

The next morning we set out for Banos, Ecuador. What should have been a simple 4 hour drive turned into a 9 hour adventure due to a 'short' detour I suggested. Oops. My guidebook mentioned a great Saturday market in a town called Riobamba which looked to be just a little out of our way and had a different road we could take to get back to Banos. Well, lessons are learned the hard way here in Ecuador. We did find Riobamba, which was a cool little town that we will plan to get back to another day. But, trying to head out of town on the road that my map identified as a straight shot to Banos was another story.

After hours of searching we ended up back on the original road and had to back track about 1.5 hrs to another point where we could turn towards Banos. It was annoying, but everyone was a good sport as we reminded ourselves that it is all part of the adventure of Ecuador! I discovered later that despite appearing on my (newly purchased) map, that the road I was looking for is no longer there as it keeps getting washed out so they stopped fixing it. Of course ... Ecuador. But, we did pass this cool statue.

Anyway, eventually, we reached Banos and our amazing little hotel for 2 nights - Pasada Del Arte. Banos is considered an adventure town. It is nestled in a little valley between some mountains and is stunningly surrounded by high green walls on every side. It was beautiful.

One of my favorite pictures from our week.

Spencer and Roger are just a little taller then the average Ecuadorian. Can you spot them?

We found these cool Statue performers while walking around and looking for dinner.

The next day was full of walking around exploring the town and taking in the amazing views.

We spent awhile beneath this bridge watching people bungee jumping off. We decided to pass.

A different bridge, closer to the river below.

Later we took a Chiva Bus ride to see the many local waterfalls. It was a frightening reminder of the Ecuadorians love of risk taking. The Chiva is an open air bus common throughout the country, but most often seen in Quito as a moving dance party. We reluctently climbed aboard despite our best instincts and found ourselves crammed with over 36 people onto a mode of transport designed for 30. They cranked up the club music and proceeded to drive at beakneck speed down tiny mountain roads so we could see as many waterfalls as possible in 2 hours. I was so on edge that I forgot to get a photo of the bus! UPDATE: Roger just sent me this photo of our bus.

Needless to say, we made it back alive and got some nice shots.

Looking down at one of the waterfalls.

Waiting for our fellow riders to come back for the trip back to town.

The local delicacy - Cuy (Guinea Pig), roasting on the sidewalk. We did not indulge.

By luck we happened to be in Banos for Carnival and there were many celebrations and traditions happening all over town. I captured this small parade:

Banos is most well known for their natural Thermal Baths. We didn't make it in but did walk over after breakfast and found it packed! This was at 8:00 am.

Apparently, the locals take these baths very seriously and take part 24/7.