Bored In Exciting Baños

After spending a long day wandering the malecon of warm Salinas and taking in the view of the long beach and apartment buildings, I took a bus to Baños. I was still flying without much of a plan. I had no idea when I should take the bus so as to get there at a decent hour and all I knew was that it was an hour after Ambato and there was a $7 per night hostel "near the basilica".

Just after midnight, the bus stopped and the driver hollered, "Terminal!" but I was certain we hadn't reached Baños yet because I had just seen a sign pointing the way to my destination. There were still half a dozen people in the bus after most people filtered out, so I deduced that we were in Ambato.

I was right, and at nearly 2am, I got off the bus to a dead town. It was dark, there were no cabs to se seen and the only movement in the main street after the bus and the last passengers had left was a cleaner sweeping the gutter and another woman standing on the curb. I started to ask the cleaner where the basilica was, but the other woman approached me and asked if I needed accommodation. She told me of her hotel with cable tv, ensuite and hot water for only $6 per night, and it was on the corner, across the street from the bus station.

I gratefully accepted, looking forward to a shower and sleeping with the tv on. The hotel was dark and a little rundown, but it had everything she promised. The bed was also super comfortable and it was clean.

After a catch up sleep, I went for a walk along the main road, following the signs towards tourist attractions. I walked a fair way in the heat, crossing bridges and seemingly deserted areas. Just as I started to think I was on the wrong track, an entourage of Yanks on quad bikes motored past, so I was hopeful of something worthwhile if I continued. It was only around the corner that I saw some small food and craft stalls. In that pocket were two small zoos. I had some lunch, deciding against more zoos of animals I had seen before, having been on the Amazon Pampas Tour and two zoos in the Peruvian jungle.

So I trekked back to the hotel, cooled off in the shower and headed into the center of town and explored the streets. They were full of cafes, restaurants, hostels, bars and tour companies. I decided it was a cute though very touristy little town with just about everything available, since it sits conveniently between the Andes and the Amazon. The most interesting thing about Baños that I found were the rows and rows of sweet shops there. Upon entry into Ecuador, I had noticed banana plantations everywhere, but Baños is all about sugar cane; fresh bundles of cane, cane juice, different sweets and rows of people stretching out nougat on hooks.

I realized that I was not going to do much in Baños since I was not into extreme sports like bungee-jumping and had done rafting for cheaper in Bolivia. Plus, I was in a place in my head where I was not interested in participating. I just wanted to chill out for a while. Another time, I think I would have enjoyed Baños.