Day 66 - 68 Banos - the waterfalls land

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Photo Album: Banos - Canyoning & swinging into the void

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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.  

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.

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.

These are sweet shops, 100% sugary stuff.

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.......

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.

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.

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Day 64 - 65 The quaint Cuenca

Previous Post: The Northern Peruvian Coast and its treasures

Photo Album: The Quaint Cuenca

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We left on a sunny morning, our truck hugged along the coast, passing what remained of the Peruian coast towards the Ecuadorian border.  And there are many villages putting on signs, advertising their location being the Garden of Eden, the Last Paradise etc., but honestly, I don’t think this part of the coast is really that interesting.

The terrain were still very much desert like.  The last couple of kilometers before the border suddenly became banana plantations....a huge contrast with the arid terrain all the way after we got onto the coast from Arequipa.

The border posts of both the Peruvian and Ecuadorian are all in one large complex.  It was quite a straight forward affair, no fuss, just more stamps on the passport.  From the small amount of traffic we’d seen that morning, the complex is certainly too huge, may be there are busier times.

undercarriage inspection channels at the border post

The huge border post complex

Most of us spent their last bit of Peruvian money by splurting on snacks and ice-creams.  I had my first chocolate ice-cream for a long time.

Ecuador dollarized their currency in 2001 in order to stablize their economy, so here we are, waving our fistful of greenbacks as we go into the country.  The paradox is, this country is quite anti-US.


The fuel price is $0.79 per gallon, yes, that is US 79 cents, which equates to about A$0.23 per litre. This is obscene....we pay $1.60 per litre in Sydney, a near 7 times as much !!!!!!!! Oil exports accounts for a good 40% of their country, no big surprises there. And the ruling regime have to keep the populace onside, somehow!

For the first time, I really felt the humidity and that we are in the tropics. After all, Ecuador means Equator.  But this did not last...just a whole 2 hours or so.

Soon we were driving into the mountains again, gaining elevations.  Although the greenness continued, rain forests become the norm, however, the temperature dropped back to the coolish low twenties.

It was a long and winding road up Cuenca way.  Dairy farming has become dominant across the landscape.

We passed a few street stalls that are selling what seemed to be roast pig meats, from a whole roast pig that lied on the front of the stall.  It’s not something I even contemplate having.

Our truck met the late afternoon traffics of  Cuenca, Ecuador  ( Ecuador - Republic of the Equator) which wasn't too heavy, after some negotiations with tight corners and low hanging cables through the narrow cobblestone streets of the centro area, we were dropped around the corner of our hotel, before Captain Will took the car to the car park.  That's when our "Dear Tour Leader" realised it was the wrong hotel.  It wasn't funny carrying the backpack and stuff unprepared for a long walk, but we found the right place, a few blocks away....wonder if Will can find us!

Cuena has a quaint little downtown, it really it, with her narrow streets lined with Spanish colonial buildings. No wonder, it is UNESCO World Heritage listed. Our hotel is quite a delightful little place, except its creaky floor, wonder what the night is going to be?

But after 3 nights of Internet deprivation, most of the crew went off into the clouds, leaving only just 4 of us, out for a walk, enjoying the late afternoon glow.

The twin domes of the New Cathedral

A leisurely walk around the narrow cobblestone streets for a couple of hours in the next morning ...

Followed by an open-top bus tour of the city, was equally rewarding....but one has to be very mindful of low hanging cables, and near brushes with windows...!

River Tomebamba

The modern side of Cuenca

But nothing beats the view from the hill top, overlooking the entire city,

Somehow, since entering Peru about 3 weeks ago, the Charlie Chaplin hat wearing ladies seems to have gradually faded away, here, they are replaced by the Panama Hat ladies.

One cannot leave Cuenca without mentioning her famous Panama hat ,  these famous hats were first made in Montecristi, near the coast, at the foot of the Andes mountains, since at least the mid-1600s. But the extreme heat of mid-day sent business owners to higher elevations, including Cuenca, where hats could be made all day. 

No tourist worth his salt would miss seeing one of these made in the local factories, but I did....well, here is a link to see how they are made.

For a good pricey one, it comes with its own box. \But carrying one of these home in any type of luggage is going to be a challenge, let alone in a backpack.

The local market is well stocked with fruits and vegetables, and the not so appetizing but ubiquitous roast pig fare.

But I love this quaint, tidy little town.

Next Post:  Banos - the Waterfalls land

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