Sorry for the delay in making a new post. I've just arrived back into Cusco, Perú after a 5-day hike called the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. The ruins are pretty incredible, but more to come on that.
Monday, June 27 we arrived from Latacunga to a town called Baños just south of Quito. Baños has a lot to offer in the way of adventure travel. It is a quaint little town nestled in the middle of the warm, green area of the Ecuadorian Andes. The town is known for its waterfalls and awesome opportunities for hiking. The first day we arrived we decided to rent mountain bikes and take a ride down the avenue of waterfalls and by the end of the day had seen about ten. They all varied in size and form, but each had its own unique characteristics. The largest of them is called "El Pailon del Diablo" meaning "The Devil's Cauldron". We were able to climb up along side the huge waterfall and actually behind it to experience its strength. Since we're in the dry season we were told that the waterfall can show a lot more force in the rainy season which is hard to imagine considering its current size.
We really lucked out with a beautiful sunny day, and made our way through the rest of the waterfalls after biking downhill on a windy path for about 25 kilometers. I didn't realize the distance we had biked until we were on our way back in a hired pick-up truck and made it to town after another 35 minutes or so of driving.
The second day in Baños was spent checking out the town and heading to a hot springs on the side of one of the surrounding mountains, which were quite disappointing given the number of people and the amount of regulation. Adi was forced to wear a shower cap (which was quite hilarious) and shortly after we arrived a school bus full of excited children already in their bathing suits pulled up and dumped about 30 kids into the springs. Needless to say our time there was cut short and we spent the rest of the day walking around Baños and preparing to head to the beach.
Montañita is a great beach town. We bussed into Guayaquil after Baños and then straight on another 3 hours to Montañita. The town is located on the southwest coast of Ecuador and is full of hippies. It seems like a haven for those who don't want to go back to their "real worlds". Many foreigners appear to have set up camp in the town and spend their days drinking Mate (a popular tea beverage that is made from leaves of yerba mate, an herbal remedy containing caffeine and related compounds) and selling artisanal crafts and goods. However charming and inviting the atmosphere may seem, after 4 days it was more than enough for me.
Unfortunately we didn't have the best weather while there- overcast, but still warm enough to head to the beach and wade into the Pacific, which presented surprisingly small waves considering it is also a popular surf area. After two days in the town we wanted to get out and see something else so headed on a day tour to Isla de la Plata which is just north of Montañita, and is also known as "Poor Man's Galapagos". Far from it. Isla de la Plata was a dry, grey, dead-looking mound that stuck out of the ocean just an hour's boat ride away from the shore. It is a mating island for some cool-looking Pacific birds, but the Island's current state made it seem like a ghost town. We saw two species of bird which were actually quite entertaining, and got to snorkel after for only 30 minutes in an unimpressive reef, but the best part was the trip to the island.
In one hour we were able to see the jumping and parading humpback whales that were passing through the area during their mating season. The males would rise to the surface to slap their tails on the water and one even jumped out of the water in attempt to impress a female. Simultaneously a group of dolphins were feeding right near our boat. It was an awesome experience.
After 4 days in Montañita we finally made our way out of there and headed back to Guayaquil to catch a bus to Perú. Two days of travel from city to city (Guayaquil-Piura-Chiclayo-Trujillo) finally landed us in an amazing mountain town called Huaraz. It's the base city for countless incredible treks through Peru's Cordillera Blanca of the Andes- a region of 5,000-6,000+ meter-high mountains capped with glaciers that glow in the background of the city. The weather was clear skies and sunny the entire time we were there and the city has an awesome, busy vibe. I'll be posting more about that next.
Hope you all are still enjoying your summer and that the Minnesota government will come to an agreement and get back on its feet again.
Saludos,
Travis
El Pailon del Diablo
That was some cold water
The Church of the Virgin of the Holy Water, a popular destination for Ecuadorians as they flock to Baños to thank the virgin for miracles and ask her blessing. It was built with volcanic rock from nearby volcano Tungurahua and has pictures of the volcanic explosion that damaged much of the city and efforts to protect the church.
The unfortunately dreary beach at Montañita
Whale tail.
With Isla de la Plata in the background
Blue-footed Boobies
Frigate birds- this is a male who is trying to impress a female with the expanded throat- they can remain like this for up to a month before actually finding a mate.
Puerto López, our port of departure for Isla de la Plata
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