Baños

Hola!
I have been so busy! Sorry it’s taken me so long to update my blog. I went to Baños this weekend, and then I got sick, so I have been resting a lot this week. I had a great time though!

On Friday morning some friends and I took the 7:30am bus to Baños. We arrived a little before noon and checked into our hostel right away, then headed out to lunch. After we ate we went to a canyon and went zip lining. It was exhilarating! Basically there was a cable that spanned across a canyon, over a river, and one at a time we flew across it. The best part about it was that it was very cheap! In all I paid $8 for the ride to the other side of the canyon, the zipline itself, and a picture at the end. So cheap! After that we went to a zoo that was right next to the canyon and we got to see a lot of “exotic” animals. It was different from a normal zoo because we were able to get very close to the animals. One monkey even reached its tail out of the cage and touched one of my friends with it! It was a little sad to see the animals caged up in what was supposed to be their natural habitat.

On Saturday we rented mountain bikes ($5 for the whole day) and set out down the mountain. On the way we found a bridge that we could jump off, so of course we did it! It is kind of like bungee jumping, but instead of bouncing back up you swing back and forth under the bridge. It was the scariest thing I have ever done! But also the most exhilarating; I would definitely do it again! After the jump we continued on our way to a beautiful waterfall. It was so scenic! After the long bike ride we went back and relaxed in the Hot Springs. There were a lot of people and the water was extremely hot. That night we explored the nightlife of Baños and went to a discoteca. We left for Quito on Sunday around noon. After the trip we were all exhausted and I got sick. Hopefully it goes away soon!

This weekend is Carnaval, a country-wide festival that lasts Saturday-Tuesday. I am going to Ambato with Alejandra and her friends. I am pretty excited!
I will put up a link for pictures in the next couple of days. Hope all is well in the States!
-Lindsey