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Baños- sorry written without the accent throughout!
Sun 29th Jan- Tues 14 Feb
So after my Mum left I returned to Latacunga to see my friends there and to make my next plans. I had been considering taking Spanish lessons and this seemed a good time to do them so I got them organised and headed to Banos on Sunday 29th January, ready to start on the Monday, luckily for me I was able to organise them last minute so I could start straight away. It helped to give me a bit of direction as with my Mum gone it was strange to be on my own without a plan (even though I don't really like plans whilst travelling, ha ha!) because for the past 2 months I had either been planning her visit/awaiting her arrival or actually with her. Saying goodbye was hard, as I knew it would be and afterwards I felt a bit down and was missing family and friends more than usual. However I of course realise how lucky I am to be here and with Spanish lessons sorted I was ready to start the next part of my trip :-) I enjoyed a few days back at the hostel in Latacunga where I of course had good intentions of blog writing and photo sorting, which never happened! It was nice to see the lovely staff and I cooked for them a couple of times too.
So I got to Banos on Sunday 29th in the late afternoon, it's only 2 hours from Latacunga. I was picked up by my host family and taken to my new home. I wanted to stay in a homestay as it would mean I would have more contact with Ecuadorian people- it was a great choice as the Reyes family were lovely, really welcoming and helpful. There was always lots of opportunity to practise lots of Spanish and they were always keen to talk about lots of things concerning Ecaudor, which was a good opportunity to find out more about the country. Dinner table conversation was always interesting with discussion on all sorts of things between us all; there were at least 2 students there at any one time, sometimes 4. Yolanda cooked delicious meals and we ate a variety of food, including different fruits and veg and different typical foods. I wish I'd written the names down of some of the things! I cooked one night for them all- they asked if I was going to make something typically English but I don't really cook typical English food- we had a stir fry! It was nice to be able to cook for them but as usual didn't think it was as good as when I do it at home. Still, they enjoyed it.
The aim of the classes for me was to work on my grammar because I can speak a lot now and hold conversations generally without a problem but I know I need to improve my grammar. We did some conversation practice too but lots of grammar work, revision of things I already knew and improving my knowledge of other tenses/grammar points. I ended up doing 2 weeks of lessons, though my second week was ruined a bit due to getting ill with a cold and therefore I was not quite with it in my lessons and had to miss one. By Friday I felt like I was back to myself and able to concentrate again. It was well worth doing the classes and now I just need to make sure I revisit my notes and put the grammar into practice to continue improve my accuracy.
As for Banos, well I have already said how much I enjoyed staying with the family, but I also enjoyed staying put in one place for a few weeks. I realise the simple things I miss like the opportunity to go to a regular exercise class, ok, I know when I had the opportunity and gym membership I wasn't always a regular attender at the zumba classes but when I did go I did enjoy it! In Latacunga I had gone to a Rumba-terapia class in the gym next door to the hostel and it was fun, just like zumba so I enquired in Banos and also took along my new friend Suzie. It only cost $1 (bargain) and we loved it! I went 2 nights in a row the first week and would have gone back for more the next week but due to being ill I didn't- Suzie continued going though and ended up going most days. I hadn't included Banos on my list as a place to revist, having been there in 2009 on my trip then, but to study and stay a few weeks it was just what I wanted because it is a very small town and its size was one of the attractions for me- I didn't want to go to a big town or city.
There are quite a few activities you can do in or around Banos, but in the end I didn't do that many and some are adventure sport orientated anyway (not my thing)- 'puenting' anyone? (basically jumping off a bridge attached by rope!)The first week I was just being a bit lazy (once again didn't even do blog or photo sorting!) and the second I was ill so didn't do a lot. I did go with Suzie on the first Saturday to a local fiesta in the nearby town of Patate which was a good afternoon. There was a big parade which lasted 2.5 hours with lots of music, dancing (both traditional and modern), floats with the 'queens' and 'princesses' on. The worst thing was being stood amongst lots of people and not having any space to move- we started to ache after a while. It seemed there would be music and dancing into the evening but we decided not to risk not being able to get back and got a bus after the parade. We went for dinner in what became our usual meeting spot for fruit shakes then later in the evening met up for a few drinks which turned into a night of dancing- it was good fun. We even used some of our Rumba-terapia moves lol. We did it again the next Saturday but with a bit less alcohol- the drinks are so strong here plus I'm very out of practice with only a few nights out since I've been travelling!
The two things I decided I had to do before leaving was go to the baths and go to see the waterfalls. So on my second to last night (a Sunday) Suzie and I went to the baths in town. The visit was delayed due to me having been ill and also wanting to avoid the main weekend crowds, however that didn't really work because there were loads of people! It wasn't the most relaxing experience as the slightly cooler (ie not scorching) pool was crammed full of people, lots of kids splashing about etc. The hot pool was very hot, and whilst quieter and more peaceful, was too hot to spend longer than 2 minutes in. Still the thermal water is good for your skin and at least now I can say I have been to the baths of Banos- which is where Banos gets its name from!
I did the waterfall tour on my last day and luckily the weather was perfect. Unfortunately during my time in Banos the weather wasn't great a lot of the time, often raining or cooler than usual- my host family kept saying it was weather typical of later in the year and that usually it was a lot warmer and sunnier, typical it started to change as I was leaving! Most people cycle to see the waterfalls on the 'ruta de las cascadas', although mostly downhill I decided against that and was going to get a bus, but at last minute I decided to get a chiva tour as I'd get to see more than just by bus. We saw I think 3 different waterfalls, including the most famous 'Pailón del Diablo'. Also went in 2 tarabitas, like cable cars but kind of like half cages made of metal, which took you closer to the other 2 waterfalls.
Another thing we did was go to use the steam room of one of the family members so Yolanda, Ramiro, me and the other students Aaron, Daniela and Mary went to use it one evening. It was relaxing and good for my cold too as the put herbs in which would help. I got my haircut in Banos- a spur of the minute decision that I kind of regretted, lol It's too short and since it's now short I miss the style I used to have at home- however luckily it just about still ties back and will grow again soon! I also got my first ever manicure, costing only $2! My nails were a bit short but I'm trying to break the very bad habit of biting them and next time I hope they'll be longer!
Whilst in Banos I had to think about my next plans. I looked into visa extensions which I found out are not possible as such here, you have to apply for a new tourist visa at a cost of $230. I was considering the option of staying a bit longer in Ecaudaor, wanting to stay somewhere for a while and look for volunteer work or something. The cost wasn't the issue, the problem is I want to visit Patagonia before winter and therefore needed to start making my way south, and it's a long way! I decided I will have to keep the option of volunteering or staying somewhere a bit longer til later in my trip, for now I need to head south because going to Patagonia was one of the things I really wanted to do on this trip, and it needs to be done in March or latest April. I have spent some time looking at how I'll get there- at the moment I think bus through Peru with some stops and then once in Chile either a combination of bus and flight or just flight to get down to the southern tip- Chile is a very long country! As always I was sad to leave a place where I have met some nice people but with my visa running out I HAVE to go. Funny to think when I first arrived I didn't plan on staying long (mostly because I had visited before in 2009) and have ended up being here for 3 months!
I was sad to be leaving Ecuador as I have really enjoyed my time here, but I also know I have lots more to look forward to…..let's hope the next 6 months are just as good as the first 6 months of the trip! :-)
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