Today I rode bikes through Baños with Alejandro. We passed under waterfalls, jumped puddles, cruised curvy mountain roads. In other words, I went mountain-biking on a mountain bike! We also rode an open-air cable car across a huge canyon. On the other side, I hopped in a tire swing and laughed as I flew through the air. I almost did a bridge jump too, but prefer to go with people I know & trust. But don´t worry, I purchased the ¨Extreme Sports Rider¨ with my travel insurance policy. It looks like great fun! I watched a man leap from the bridge...he looked really scared!
We continued on to the Pailon del Diablo. The trip from Baños is about 17 kilometers, so there and back made 34 km, about 21 miles or so in total, I think. A crater full of water at the top of the mountain funnels down into a powerful downpour of a waterfall. We had to hike a bit to see the cascades. I went to the top of the cascade for the view and ended up climbing through crevices to pass behind the falls. I´m a little scared of caves and cramped spaces apparently, so it was a challenge to go it alone and face that fear. I got pretty muddy too but didn´t mind one bit. A great day for exercise, except for a 15 minute rain shower that left me soaked. I lost a toenail too, dagnabbit!
We also crossed a bridge that can only hold 5 people at a time. The planks are not strong enough to support the weight of more people than that. It suspends over the rapids gushing down from the cascade. Back at the top, we ate lunch. The garbage can at the restaurant was a tree trunk lined with a plastic bag. How ingenious!
And on the way back from Baños, you have to pass through dark tunnels in the mountains at certain junctures. As the majority of the clothes I have with me are black, no cars could see me in the tunnels. And there are no lights. Period. We had to wait for a car headed into the tunnels to light the way. Only problem is that then you have to bust your tush to maintain a decent speed for the car trailing you! I wasn´t moving too fast, but the driver at least held out until I could see daylight again.
So tomorrow is the travel day to Montañita. Oh yeah! I love the beach! Say a prayer that the plans don´t change...AGAIN!
1 comment:
Well I hope your at the beach today missy!
Were having a glum rainy day here.
How on earth did you manage to lose a toenail? And what are you doing with malaria medicine int he first place? Is that a requirement of traveling down there?
You are starting to sound like your never coming home!
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