Previous Post: The Quaint Cuenca
Photo Album: Banos - Canyoning & swinging into the void
Note: to view a better version of any photo, just click on
it. To return, click on the "X" on the top right corner after
viewing.
Posts for other dates are located on the left. Expanding other months
opens the posts within that month.
The Tucan Truck wriggled through the narrow streets and waved goodbye to Panama Hats and Rio Tomebamba, as we left Cuenca in a drizzling morning.
Banos is like a sieve, home to over 60 waterfalls, little wonder that were waters leaking from the hillside everywhere we turned.
And we stopped at a local bridge..........to see some brave souls bungee down the side, whilst some of us were shopping for dinner.
Pray before you jump.....he said
We were promised a couple of days of actions, after the placid days since we left the huge sand dunes at Pisco, Peru....and here we come, in the rain.
Our hostel is about 15 Km out of town along the Rio Pastaza.....what's there to do in the rain, nothing can be more fun then canyoning into the river and the waterfalls, and that's exactly what some of us did...stupidly or otherwise, we did it.......
From precarious to awkwardness; at the hostel, it was too wet to set up tents, as there are only double bed rooms available, I certainly was not interested to share a bed with others, so it was the dorm, for many of us. Imagine lying on the top of a bunk bed which sways creakily every time one turns over..........and the giggles from one's neighbour, that's the predicament.
After failing to kill ourselves through jumping or fly foxing from waterfalls to waterfalls, it was decided to try swinging over a cliff. So our mad tour leader took a few of us brave hearts into the mist again, hiked up 700 meters to meet our fate.
It was my first serious hiking since the Macchu Picchu, the first 30 minutes of steep ascent nearly killed me, until I got my rhythm back, and it was a muddy walk in the mist when we got near the top.
We were looking for the famous "Tree House of Banos" ( Casa del Arbol ), perching over a cliff, but nowhere could we see it with the mist around, and with no signage and poor directions from the locals, we nearly missed it, just by a mere couple of hundred meters. Finally it was a taxi that came to our aid, and we were there in a snap.
First it was the Tree House after a short steep muddy climb...
and then the swingers.............
So we did have a couple of very wet days...largely self inflicted.
And I finally received and printed the confirmation of my trip tickets to the Galapagos. That's in the distant future, a week's time. I have to finish the vegetarian empanada first, a healthy food deep fried in some unholy oil, that's the immediate reality, here in Banos.
Next Post: Fawlty Towers in the Jungle
INDEX to All Other Posts
All at a sudden, the tropics was quite cold, and we were traveling through clouds at times
We meandered over 350 Km of highland roads to Banos, passing quite a few sizable township that are perching on steep hillsides.
And we stopped at a local bridge..........to see some brave souls bungee down the side, whilst some of us were shopping for dinner.
 |
| These are sweet shops, 100% sugary stuff. |
We were promised a couple of days of actions, after the placid days since we left the huge sand dunes at Pisco, Peru....and here we come, in the rain.
Our hostel is about 15 Km out of town along the Rio Pastaza.....what's there to do in the rain, nothing can be more fun then canyoning into the river and the waterfalls, and that's exactly what some of us did...stupidly or otherwise, we did it.......
in some places, we were just standing on a few inches of slippery rock ledge, our lives relied on the strength of a few hooks.....amazing and heart thumping fun !
From precarious to awkwardness; at the hostel, it was too wet to set up tents, as there are only double bed rooms available, I certainly was not interested to share a bed with others, so it was the dorm, for many of us. Imagine lying on the top of a bunk bed which sways creakily every time one turns over..........and the giggles from one's neighbour, that's the predicament.
After failing to kill ourselves through jumping or fly foxing from waterfalls to waterfalls, it was decided to try swinging over a cliff. So our mad tour leader took a few of us brave hearts into the mist again, hiked up 700 meters to meet our fate.
It was my first serious hiking since the Macchu Picchu, the first 30 minutes of steep ascent nearly killed me, until I got my rhythm back, and it was a muddy walk in the mist when we got near the top.
We were looking for the famous "Tree House of Banos" ( Casa del Arbol ), perching over a cliff, but nowhere could we see it with the mist around, and with no signage and poor directions from the locals, we nearly missed it, just by a mere couple of hundred meters. Finally it was a taxi that came to our aid, and we were there in a snap.
First it was the Tree House after a short steep muddy climb...
and then the swingers.............
and here we are, swinging into the void, good luck, Nienke........!!!!!! Bye...
And then there are many local waterfalls to explore along Rio Pastaza....and they are....well, roaringly wet.
And I finally received and printed the confirmation of my trip tickets to the Galapagos. That's in the distant future, a week's time. I have to finish the vegetarian empanada first, a healthy food deep fried in some unholy oil, that's the immediate reality, here in Banos.
Next Post: Fawlty Towers in the Jungle
INDEX to All Other Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment