Video as promised

Hope you enjoy the video, it should give you a feel for our canyoning experience. My abseiling skills are far from honed as you can see but I had a fantastic time nonetheless. Our guide (ever so slightly crazy in my opinion) thought he'd test his own skills by undertaking a couple of front-facing descents that were even scary to watch!

I'd wondered all afternoon why we were all wearing slightly strange looking PVC 'nappies', but found that they were put to very good use as we slid down the final two smaller waterfalls in to deep pools of water...lots of fun.

We´re off to Latacunga today and so we embark on another bus journey and a change of location. I've really enjoyed Baños but in the true spirit of travel, I'm ready for another new experience.

S

Canyoning in Baños

Today Simon and I went canyoning just outside Baños. Until this week I had no idea what canyoning actually was but it seems that I'm being inducted into the world of adventurous water sports at quite a rate on this trip. Having abseiled only once before and being a little nervous of heights, canyoning ticked all the right boxes to have me scared out of my wits and at times it did just that. I must admit that I wasn't too keen on changing into my wetsuit at the tour company office in the middle of town but as the pickup truck dropped us at the end of a dirt track and we realised that we had a bit of a climb on our hands I'm glad that I didn't have to carry all of my things. My poor legs are still suffering from yesterday's hike so the 15 minute scramble to the top of the waterfall wearing my wetsuit, plastic jacket, harness and helmet was more than a little uncomfortable! The descent consisted of abseiling down 5 waterfalls, starting with the shortest and finishing on a 40 metre whopper!

Despite the nerves and the destruction of our 'white collar' hands (Simon spent a while suggesting that the guide offer gloves to the next group...such a delicate little flower that he his!) we had a brilliant time and felt as though we were in very capable hands. Our confidence grew as we gained a bit of experience and just as we thought we'd really got the hand of it, our guide showed us how it should be done!

I'll post a video of the experience tomorrow.

Bye S

Trekking in Baños

After a disappointing start to the day when we were told that we could not trek up to view the volcano due to a big eruption during the night, Simon and I went to the tourist information office to check how long the hiking routes would be closed for. The woman there told us that we'd been misinformed and that the routes were in fact open. She told us that the volcano regularly erupts to the degree that it did last night and that we should not be unduly worried about it. We took her advice and set out walking at lunchtime. We decided (well Simon did actually as I'd wanted to go the slightly easier route!) to walk up the steep steps to the Virgen de Agua Santa (a monument positioned half way up the mountain on the slopes of Volcan Tunguruhua). We really felt the altitude as we ascended very slowly up the near 45 degree slope! The locals on the route whistled past us having barely broken sweat in the heat of the early afternoon. Our slow pace paid off and we made it in one piece to the top where the view of Baños town and the surrounding countryside was beautiful. Sadly no volcano to be seen as the top of the mountain was again shrowded in cloud as it has been since we arrived.



The weather lower down the slopes was beautiful though and we continued to walk high above Baños around the mountain to another viewing point. The diversity of the plants and wildlife here is breathtaking. Flowers of vivid reds, pinks and oranges are visited constantly by enormous numbers of butterfly. They seemed totally unperturbed by our existence and danced around us for most of our walk.

We got back to our hostel in mid-afternoon and both felt as though we'd had a good workout (good preparation for the longer treks to come). After putting our clothes on to wash in the hostel's washing machine we headed out for a hard earned iced coffee...this is the life!

S

Baños

We arrived in Baños on Sunday after a 4 hour bus journey from Quito. Again the bus was on time and the journey uneventful. All bus journeys here seem to take on the feel of a mobile market as street sellers jump on board at every stop (or even when the bus driver merely slows at the lights) hawking thier wares. We were offered all sorts from the predicatbale fruit, sweets and crisps to CDs and so on. Our 'direct' bus to Baños turned out to be a little less direct than expected and the Baños Express (as they laughingly called themselves) not very quick at all but we've already come to expect that in the short time we've been here. Baños is a relaxed place with lots of travellers both American, European and Ecuadorian - here to swim in the hot baths and try one of the various outdoor pursuits that are readily on offer. I guess it's the equivalent (relatively speaking) of Bath at home with its hot springs and it literally translates as such too.

Our attempts to book our hostel ahead of time over the phone from Quito paid dividends when we turned up at 'Le Petit Auberge' to find that they were indeed expecting us! Our limited Spanish enables us to reel off sentences and requests fairly easily but we often find ourselves at a complete loss when the well meaning local in turn reels off their very rapid response - to which we normally nod and utter 'Si, Si'. The hostel is quite rustic and very pretty. It has beautiful garden and the room comes with a fireplace which we intend to crank up tonight as it does get pretty chilly in the evenings here.

We spent our first afternoon exploring the town which is quite small and easy to get around. There are an enourmous number of internet cafes and tour companies lining the streets amongst the bars, restuarants and many hostels and hotels. We can't get WiFi here so we're having to use the internet cafes to blog and check our email which is working out ok despite the exceptionally slow internet connections that seem to be the norm here.

We had already decided that we wanted to do some of the activities on offer in the town and having heard some horror stories about the reliability and safety of some companies offering such activities we decided to stick with the Lonely Planet's recommendation and booked up to go white water rafting with a company called GeoTours. Their reputation was well deserved and we had a brilliant day. Having never rafted before I must admit that I was a bit nervous beforehand and terrified at some points on the water. We did a grade 4 river which is the most challenging I can ever imagine wanting to do! Our leader was fantastic and really knew his stuff. We had a short briefing before we got on to the river and then, dressed in some very flattering neoprene (no pictures of this you'll be relieved to hear), we hopped on board the raft and took to the water. Simon was sat at the front of the raft (as was I until I decided just before setting off that I'd rather sit in the middle...I'm such a chicken!) and coped admirably with the huge white water that we battled through. I found it difficult enough to remember my right from my left as the instructor shouted commands from the back of the raft. I made it to the end (without falling out - although there were some close calls!) though and am very glad I tried it.

Yesterday evening we bumped in to (and had dinner with) a guy who'd been on our flight from Houston to Quito/Guayaquil, and his girlfriend. Simon had met him while waiting for some free food at our unexpected overnight airport stay. They (randomly enough) are staying in the same hostel as us, in the room next door (it's a small world!).

Today we were supposed to be trekking up the mountain to the volcano viewing points. Baños is located at the base of Volcan Tunguruhua which is an active volcano. The last big eruption was in 1999 with smaller eruptions in 2005/6. Apparently it is has been fairly active recently (which was apparent to us as we approached Baños by bus...we could see the top of the volcano spewing ash into the sky which was pretty spectacular) and it's possible to walk or take guided trips to see the volcano both at day and at night. We were planning to head off this morning for our trek but were told that the volcano had erupted last night and that all the trekking routes and roads are now closed. Apparently it sounded like a jet taking off and considering the distinct lack of airport in Baños it must have been quite scary (Simon and I didn't even stir from sleep...typical!). So we now have some time on our hands today and I thought I'd make good use of it by posting my blog and trying to upload a few pictures of the hostel where we're staying.

Tomorrow we are going canyoning which is basically (as far as I can work out) abseiling down waterfalls. Apparently we begin by practising on waterfalls of about 4-6 metres in height and as we gain experience and confidence the height of the waterfalls increases. Finally we are supposed to tackle a couple of waterfalls of between 40 and 60 metres in height...we'll see! We're able to take our camera tomorrow so I'm sure I'll have some hilarious photos to upload over the next couple of days.

We think we might rent a quad bike this afternoon and drive out of town on the scenic waterfall route. This might be the only opportunity to see the falls from the comfort of dry land!

Check in again soon

S

Otavalo Market

On Saturday morning we were up early as we had a bus to catch to Otavalo Market which has a reputation as the biggest and best in South America. You know me...if there’s an opportunity to do some shopping I’m there (however early I have to get out of bed!). Actually getting up was extremely easy as the jet lag ensured that we were both wide awake and ready to go by about 5am! We managed to snooze for a little longer and after a very temperamental shower we indulged in our Magic Bean complimentary breakfast. A couple of pancakes and some yoghurt and granola later we headed to the bus station.

It turns out that bus travel here is fairly cheap and really easy to negotiate. You pay about a dollar for each hour of the journey. Having said that, the driving leaves a little to be desired. Again Simon’s hand bore the scars of my intense gripping as we hurtled at break neck speed up and down winding mountain roads (Dad you would have loved it!!!). Two and a half hours later we arrived at Otavalo and made our way to the ‘Plaza de Ponchos’ which is home to hundreds upon hundreds of brightly coloured stalls selling (yes you guessed it...) ponchos, along with hats, clothes, embroidered goods, arts, crafts, hammocks, jewellery, toys, and more interestingly fresh foods and spices. It was indeed Gringo heaven as the hoards of American exchange students bartered for their must have ethnic jewellery and the items of clothing which they are sure never to wear again! We managed to contain ourselves and bought very little (I know that may seem hard to believe) as we were very aware that this was only day 2 of our trip. We bought a couple of presents (Becky G your christmas present will be winging it’s way to you from Ecuador - not sure how long it will take though) and a little painting. The bus journey back was almost as torturous but Simon kept his hands well away from me and noone suffered any injury.

The altitude is affecting our appetites somewhat and on Friday night we didn’t eat dinner. On Saturday we couldn’t eat lunch but by late afternoon they had restored themselves somewhat and we ate at a Steak House just down the road from our hostel. Without wanting to sound dramatic or caught up in the moment, it was probably the best steak I’ve ever eaten...cooked to perfection and delicious. We treated ourselves to dessert and coffee back at our hostel where a band were playing. Either old age or jet lag (I’m hoping the latter!) forced us to retire very early again and we were both tucked up in bed by 8.30pm!

As I write this it is before 6am on Sunday morning and I’ve been awake since about 3 (dozing on and off since!). We leave for Baños this morning which is a three and a half hour bus journey. We attempted last night to book our hotel in Spanish...not sure if it’s reserved or not. I guess we’ll find out how successful we were when we arrive.

Fingers crossed.

Sarah

An eventful 36 hours!

We are finally in Quito, Ecuador. The good news is that we made it in one piece and our bags WERE successfully reunited with us when we arrived at Quito airport (my experience in China has made me very nervous about parting with my bags especially with a fairly tight connection to make). The other side of the story is that we made it to Quito a day later than we were supposed to. Most of you know that I am a nervous flyer to say the least (ask Simon about a now infamous flight on a smallish plane back from Scotland if you need verification of the level of my nerves and what I put him, and the other poor passengers close enough to hear me, through!) and I am happy to report that the first leg of our journey (Gatwick to Houston, Texas) was pleasantly uneventful. We took off and landed on time and the flight was blissfully smooth if punctuated by some interestingly laid back Continental Airlines staff! Arriving in Houston ten and a half hours later afforded us welcome relief as we had an hour and a half to get off the plane, stretch our legs and eat some relatively edible food.

It was all going too smoothly and we were obviously being far too smug about the whole affair. We again boarded our connecting flight to Quito on time if a little anxious that we would be sitting next the (relentlessly) screaming child. The flight gods blessed us again and we were in fact at the opposite end of the plane, again a self satisfied smile must have crossed my face as we were repaid in abundance by the events that followed! The five hour flight is notoriously (I have subsequently discovered) bumpy and a little unreliable (in fact I was told today that 80% of flights in the last two months have suffered a similar fate to ours...shame we didn't know that before we booked it!). As I sighed a (barely audible) sigh of relief that the pilot had again (in my humble opinion) accomplished the impossible and made it to cruising altitude without any drama and the flight attendant was telling us that food would shortly be served, the flight gods decided that our run of luck was coming to an end. As the plane appeared to plummet by about a kilometre (I know, I know...Simon also tells me it's much less but I'm going on 'feel' here!) my barely audible sigh turned itself into a very sharp (and very audible) intake of breath as my nails plunged into poor Simon's hand. The flight attendant, also obviously a bit shaken, tried to turn of the microphone pretty pronto as machines started beeping all over the show. When the plane recovered its position (tenths of a second later I'm sure) the other passengers again struck up their conversations but there was a distinctly nervous edge to their chatter.

We then went through considerable turbulence until we were about half an hour away from Quito, at which point we were informed that bad weather conditions and in particular very low visibility due to fog was putting our landing at Quito airport into question. If you are unfamiliar with Quito, it is situated in bowl surrounded on all sides by mountains. Luckily for us we had a very informed fellow sat behind us who proceeded to explain to the entire cabin (you know the type...talks very loud and knows it, laughs hysterically at his own jokes and clearly enjoys being the one who's been there and done that) that due to a recent accident on landing at Quito airport which apparently damaged the instrument landing system, the pilots are understandably a little anxious about landing there. He also helpfully educated us on the difficulties of landing at the airport in general and explained that pilots have to specially trained for the privilege...GREAT! As you can imagine this all added to the pleasure of my flying experience...

Anyway to cut what is becoming a long story just a little bit shorter, we were informed after half an hour in a VERY bumpy holding pattern outside Quito, that the airport had been closed and that we would be diverted to Guayaquil. And that is exactly what happened. We arrived, and by that time the original screaming baby had very understandably been joined by several other screaming babies (I did really feel for their poor parents but it was not fun nonetheless) which made for quite a noisy cabin full of tired and grumpy passengers. The cabin crew by this time were skulking in first class where they cleverly avoided the need to answer questions from the aforementioned customers. You would think that if this has in fact happened to 80% of flights in the last two months that someone would have implemented a system for such an event. Well you might think that...we thought that as did the many new friends we had made by this point. Guess who had all the answers? Oh yeah he certainly did! 'We'll be sleeping in the terminal' he informed us ('we have four hotels organised', one of the flight attendants finally offered); 'they won't let us have our baggage', he continued (PLEASE SHUT UP, I thought!). Rather unfortunately for all concerned, he was in fact fairly well versed in (almost inevitable) outcome of this diverstion. We did indeed sleep in airport terminal although sleep is probably not the best word to use for the way I spent those hours. And, we did not get our baggage! The airport was light, bright and noisy all night as you can probably imagine. As it is indeed the festive season the staff were kind enough to play 3 or 4 Christmas carols on a continuous loop for approximately 12 hours (only occasionally broken by the announcement of a flight (never ours) that was about to depart 'on time'!).

Back to the beginning then I guess. We did eventually make it to Quito late this morning. We have checked into our hostel which is called The Magic Bean and seems to be great. I"ll add a link to my links site when I get a minute. As you can imagine, no photos to show you of any interest today but I thought I'd include the one at the top so you can see how I spent my first night in South America.

I'm stopping now.

Sarah

Here we go!

A very quick post to say that we're on our way! We're now at Gatwick awaiting our flight to Quito in the morning. Stay in touch everyone...I'll leave you with a quick picture taken by Simon's dad as he dropped us off at the station. x