Going to the city of baths, Banos

Team Kroeker is ready to rock

Banos = Bathroom?

After returning from the Quilatoa loop (yes the last Galapagos blog is out of place) we went south to a city called Banos. It is very touristy but we quite enjoyed it! This is the capital for outdoor adventure sports in Ecuador from whitewater rafting, rapelling down waterfalls, bungee jumping, zip lining and more, this city has it all. We whitewater rafted one day down class 3 rapids which was fun, our guide heightened the experience by yelling at us to jump in and float down some rapids. The waves are way larger when your eyeball is level with the rapids.

About 1 werk prior to our arrival in Banos a near by volcano errupted, no one seemed concerned even though we could hear some erruptions and see the plumes of smoke arising from the volcano.  I guess if the locals aren't concerned then I shouldn't be??

The hot springs here are a little more rustic than the Banff hot springs. It seems that they piped in hot water straight from the natural hot springs, brown water and all. We all looked cute wearing our highly regulated shower caps which double as a water scooper for the children to get cold water from the cold pools to pour onto their parents head.

Andrea is down!

Wish we had more time in this city. Next on the agenda is a 8 hour bus to Guayaquil, Ecuador then to catch a 30 hour bus ride to Lima, Peru! After 5 weeks in Ecuador we are finally onto our second country in our South America tour.

Travelers notes: We stayed at Hostel D'Mathias, the cheapest hostel yet (7 soles per person) on our trip with a private room and bathroom and full use of the kitchen, good choice! Banos is a great place for adventure sports.

Tungurahua erupting in the background

Tungurahua erupting