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Lots to tell since last time I updated this as usual! This weekend I went to Baños. The bus journey wasn't much fun as it took 4 hours on bumpy roads and I was hungover and didn't know where to get off! haha. But I got there safely and met up with my friend Heather who I met on the flight over from London. Baños is lovely but so different from Tena, so many tourists!! In Tena I think me and Caroline are the only non-Ecuadorians!! It's a very pretty place though, we stayed in a hostel with a rooftop cafe with views across the mountains and the waterfalls. On Saturday morning we went to the thermal baths, "Baños de la Virgen".....lovely warm water, next to a waterfall. Then we went on a tour of the waterfalls in an open-sided bus ("chiva"), and also went on a cable car over the waterfalls, a bit scary but fun!! Then we had the chance to go "swing jumping" or "pendulum jumping", a bit like bungee jumping but you swing like a pendulum from the bridge. Looked sooo much fun but I couldn't do it as I had a dodgy stomach so felt too sick!! Heather did it though and, despite the screaming, said it was brilliant! Then we went back in to the town for lunch (although I couldn't eat!) and tried some of the melcochas (toffees) that they sell in the doorways, they make it on long string things, its so weird, but tastes good! Was tempted to try "cuy" (guinea pig) but was put off when I saw the whole squashed dead animals on skewers! mmmmmmmmm(!!). After lunch we hired a dune buggy for an hour!! We should have really gone up in to the mountains on it but it was a bit late so we just zoomed around the streets.....a bit scary on main roads!! Was fine when I was driving (of course) but Heather kept driving on the wrong side of the road!! At one point a dog started chasing us too and I thought it was going to leap in to the buggy on top of me!! aaargghhhh! In the evening we went on a "night city and volcano tour" which was hilarious.......we were freezing cold, walking in the pitch black down dirt tracks to see nothing haha! If you go to Baños don't get conned in to doing it! On Sunday morning we got up early and went for a steam bath in the hostel we were staying in! Then we went for a hike up in to the mountains, amazing views. Although I think the highlight for me was seeing a guy with long hair, a tash and a cowboy hat riding a motorbike with a dog on the back haha. We were lucky going to Baños this weekend as it was fiesta time! There was lots of music and dancing in the streets, and fireworks all night!
Now I'm back in Tena ready for another week at work! I've been teaching the kids a dance routine to "If you're happy and you know it", which they're going to perform in costume at a fiesta in Tena next month! They love it! It´s so cute but I don't know how they'll remember it when I'm not here!
Now it's time for another battle with the computer...trying to upload pics......and then home to hand wash yet more clothes.....I will never take a washing machine for granted again!.....ciao xx
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