Today I got back from Baños, Ecuador. We left Friday around 3:00 and arrived in time to walk to streets and visit a discoteca. I have never seen so many good dancers! The men and women alike were fantastic at salsa and it was a lot of fun learning a new style of dance. We also made sure to teach them some of our U.S. moves! In general, Ecuadorians don’t raise their hands in the air when dancing. It is mainly about the feet and hips. I found it funny though because the DJ would play American songs, but no one knew the concurring dance. Anyone ever heard a song that says, “put your hands in the air” (there are quite a few)? Well, when these were played, no one was putting their hands in the air. This is except for those few Americans scattered throughout the bar. Haha.
The next morning was raining so we spent some time in the market. When it cleared, we took a bus up the mountain and had a tour of 5 different waterfalls, including the largest waterfall in Ecuador. The girls at the school also bungee jumped (I am afraid of heights so this is the one activity I passed up)! From there, we were dropped off at some swimming pools that have water from the volcano! The theory is that swimming in the volcanic water is very therapeutic. After the pool, we went back to the Hostel, changed, and found a nice place to eat. There was a very nice Italian restaurant where the food and service was great, and also cost about $6. If you are on a budget, there are other places for even less. Later that night a party bus brought us up the mountain to where we were supposed to be able to see the city and the volcanic fire at the top of the volcano! BUT, since the weather was bad and it was raining, the clouds were too thick to see anything L We were still able to try a traditional Ecuadorian drink, “Canelazo.” It is a warm drink that contains orange juice, cinnamon, and some kind of tart alcohol that I’m not a big fan of. Either way, it was nice to try the drink that the Ecuadorians love so much. They also had a bonfire with a comical act. Then, after the skit was over, we went back down the mountain in a party bus for some more discotecas. Overall, I spent $8 total for the bus tours of magnificent some scenery and entry into the bars. Not too shabby!
ADVICE: If you are a germ-a-phob, then go to the pools in the morning. There are early bird openings at 4:00 a.m. The pool only uses natural water so by the evening it is pretty dirty.
