My last day in Quito started late – I didn’t have much else I wanted to see. I mailed to the UK 3 Fujichrome slide films that I’d had processed the day before. These are all the photos I took in USA, Mexico and Guatemala. It is a risk to send them back by post, but I don’t want to carry all my photos with me – that seems even more risky. A few years ago, on a ferry crossing the English channel, I met someone who was just ending a round-the-world trip and he had just lost all his films from the whole trip, leaving them under a theatre seat in the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, of all places. I’m more than a little concerned about the same thing happening to me (even thought I’m not really into ballet, and definitely won’t be going to Moscow…).
In the afternoon I went with Bruce and Kate to a Scottish-owned bar/restaurant in the newer end of the city, and spent a leisurely few hours. Kate started planning that evening’s social activities. But I headed back to the hotel for an early night – I was planning to move on again the next morning. I didn’t need another party quite yet…
In the morning (19th December) I went for a quick walk up the Panecillo hill again to see if I could enjoy the elusive view of the distant big volcanos, especially Cotopaxi. But again there was too much cloud.
At 9am the bus that I had just climbed on duly pulled out of Quito terminal and headed south toward the mountain spa town of Baños, which is my chosen location to spend Christmas.
The journey was scenic and I had a good seat at the front as the bus, but inevitably “Natusha” was again spreading joy and happiness, with her number one hit song blaring forth multiple times during the 4 hour trip.
Finally the bus sped down into the centre of Baños, and I soon checked in to “Hostal Patty” backpackers hotel. Later I went for a long walk up the north side of the valley to get a view of what was (to me) the main attraction of Baños. What could this attraction be other than another active volcano..?! This one is called Tungurahua, it is 5042 m (16,543 feet) high, and needless to say I am determined to climb to the top before I leave Baños!
On my return to Hostal Patty, I found that Holland and Denmark (Cesco and Russ) had just arrived, and we all went out to a very good French restaurant. It was good to see them again – I had last seen them at the beach barbecue at Atacames, which we had a good laugh about. I enquired who had got stuck with the girl from Guayquil after my rapid exit from the beach. “Oh, nobody..” reported Cesco, “…she was only interested in you!”. I wasn’t quite sure what to say!
We ended up at a bar and got talking to a British guy who was in the marines, and whose girlfriend was resting after being bitten by a dog the previous day when they were going up to the scenic overlook with the cross on the southeast side of town. He was somewhat concerned that she might have rabies…
The following day (20th December) I had more or less decided on a plan to conquer the volcano, but I wanted to test my boots and legs first. So I headed up to the viewpoint with the cross (avoiding getting bitten by any rabid dogs) and then carried on up a hillside further east, reaching 600 m (2000 ft) above the height of Baños. I felt pretty strong, and everything seemed to work…
Back in town, I started to equip myself for the ascent of Tungurahua, which I plan to attempt on 21st and 22nd December – it’s a 2 day trip with a night in a mountain hut. I bought myself a sweater and hat, both made of llama wool, and then went hunting for mountaineering gear. I’d been told that the snow at the top was hard, and that without the proper gear, reaching the summit itself was difficult and dangerous. Eventually I found a shop that would, for a very reasonable fee, rent me a battered looking ice axe and some ancient 10-point crampons. With these, the chances of this little expedition being successful have increased greatly…
After buying food for the ascent, I went to find Holland and Denmark, and on the insistence of Denmark we went to a Danish restaurant. I was amazed that there was such a thing in the small town of Baños… Later I spent a shorter time in the bar than I might have done – on account of the next day’s plan being to climb the highest mountain that I have ever attempted.
I took the same hike up to the cross! Baños was by far my favorite place in Ecuador. I remember not enjoying much of the food in Ecuador but I found some yummy little restaurants in Banos. I’m assuming you didn’t get into the “baño”? I did!
If my copy of “South American on a Shoestring” didn’t tell me to go there, then I didn’t go!! 🙂