Ecuador Part II / Quito, Tena and Baños

Quito

Time for movement and activities! The new year began in Quito - the capital of Ecuador. After Guayaquil, Quito is the second largest city in the country with a population of about 2.5 million. Quito is about 54 km long and 8 km wide. Because of this, the city has only six major roads that connect the north and south of Quito. Practically every resident owns a car and has to drive on one of these roads every day. This automatically leads to traffic jams and long waiting times (about 1-2 hours). Therefore, the government has decided to divide the vehicle owners into categories. This division only allows drivers to use the car at certain times. This measure is intended to encourage carpooling or the use of public transportation.

After the relaxing week in Montañita, I decided to take a 13-day tour of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with Contiki Tours. In Quito, we went to the Pululahua Volcano. About 40 families live in the crater of this volcano and are largely self-sufficient. The village is one of two in the world that is located in the crater of a volcano. Afterwards, we went to the 'Mitad del Mundo' (Middle of the World). The latitude there is 00°00'00'. With my left foot, I was in the southern hemisphere, and with my right foot, I was in the northern hemisphere. It was a great feeling to be at 'different' places at the same time.

Tena

On the way to Tena (Amazonas), we drove up and down endless mountains. The highest point was at 4057 meters. Before we went to the hostel, a caving tour was scheduled. The three-hour underground cave hike was an amazing experience. At times, we could only make progress with great effort. Climbing, grabbing, and crawling were required. I adapted to the people from the jungle and tried new dishes. For dinner, we had worms wrapped in bacon. Just the thought of these worms makes my stomach turn. We drank a 'Chonta-Colada'. Chonta is a peach palm found in tropical America. The drink is supplemented with rum, pineapple, milk, and sugar.

The next day, it was time for movement and fun. In the morning, we hiked through the Amazon of Ecuador. Unfortunately, it was more of a walk, as many tour members did not have appropriate equipment for a more adventurous hike. Nevertheless, the panorama was unique. At one point, we even ate live ants because they taste like carrots (which turned out to be false, unless you eat over a dozen ants...).

We also visited a real Inca community - the Muyuna. They live in the Amazon. It was great to see the many smiling children and play with them. We were even able to participate in a ceremony in which the shaman replaces a person's negative energy with positive energy.

In the afternoon, river rafting was on the program. We divided ourselves into two groups - 'normal' group and 'extreme' group. Of course, I chose the extreme group. My first rafting experience lasted just under three hours and couldn't have been better. We paddled downstream between mountains and forests. The view was heavenly. We, the extreme group, also paddled through and over rocks to feel the thrill. We also played a game called 'Rodeo'. Each of us took turns sitting on the front of the boat, holding onto a rope with one hand and trying not to fall into the water. Of course, each of us fell into the water...

Baños

Baños is very touristy compared to Tena. Especially sports enthusiasts are attracted to this area. In Baños, you can do any kind of activity. Our first activity was a canopy tour. In addition to the ziplines, we also had to cross a wobbly, narrow suspension bridge and climb a steep rock face of 80 meters. The remarkable part was the Superman Zip (attached to the back and head first to the other side), which reached a speed of 120 km/h - AMAZING!
In Baños, we also did not miss out on dancing. Our guide (Mayra, a loving and warm-hearted woman) organized a private salsa lesson for us, followed by a barbecue. It was rounded off by a professional bartender. We learned the basic steps of salsa and enjoyed the in-house Long Island Iced Tea. What was special about the Long Island was that it was served with a tea bag. Hard to believe, but the taste was extremely good.
The next day, we raised our adrenaline level again. CANYONING! I can hardly put the feeling into words. We descended four different waterfalls (8m, 12m, 18m & 35m) and slid down a short slope of about 5m at the end. Despite the rain and wind, I had a hell of a fun. I also recorded impressive videos with my X'trem camera on my helmet. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoyed canyoning and also felt the cold. One person had to be taken to the hospital with hypothermia - he had a temperature of 35.4 degrees...
As a change of pace, we enjoyed a full-body massage in the late afternoon. Before flying to the Galapagos Islands, we visited two famous places in Baños, 'Casa del Arbol' and 'Pailón del Diablo'.

What an action-packed and lively week!