Banos

After Cotopaxi, we headed south on the Panamerica to the small city of Riobamba and then on to one of Ecuador´s top five tourist spots, Banos, for some serious relaxing. A small town perched directly under this extremely active volcano. We even heard it rumble once as it belched ash and steam! In 1996 the town was evacuated, but when the volcano failed to errupt the government let people return to their homes. In August of this year the volcano spit lava, which caused a mudslide wiping out a section of the road to Banos! But according to our taxi driver, after seven years of living beneath the belching volcano, he wasn´t particularly afraid of an impending erruption.
Alex looks suave on his smooth rider. One of the big tourist activies is to bike from Banos toward the jungle. The road runs alongside the Rio Pastaza, which is fed by spectacular waterfalls. It reminded us of the waterfalls that can be seen from Highway 20 during early summer in the North Cascades.
Another popular tourist activity is bridge swinging. Like bungy jumping, except the rope is ridged in such a way that you swing rather than fall. Neither Alex nor I wanted to give it a try. Here we are watching another adventurous (dumb?) young tourist.
The bike route passes by the access point for Pailon del Diablo, the most famous waterfall in Ecuador. Michelle ventures down a slick stairway to the vista point.
The following day we explored the Rio Pastaza from the opposite side, following a trail that winds past citrus orchards, occasional mud houses, orchids, grasslands, and even a schoolhouse. Crazy to think that people living on this side of the river can only get their goods to market by carrying them along the path or taking the taribita across the river (no cars, no moterized equipment).
Michelle crosses the river in the taribita. The cable car was about a 1,000 ft above the river and motored speedily from one side to the other.
Banos is known for a particular type of taffy, which the venders pull and stretch when the candy is still warm to get it to the right consistency. We tried it both hot, straight from the doorknob, and cold after it had been flavored and packaged.