Banos, a chill out town with good food, outdoor activity´s and hot baths, just what us road monkeys need. We spent our time productively. Watching the volcano Tungurahua, hoping glowing lava would cascade down the slopes as the air fills with smoke and ash. The highlight of our watch was a constant puffing of white smoke from the crater and a dusting of ash in the town one evening. We dipped in and out of the local hot baths, one pool measured 48degC, scolding enough to make us sweat and feel dizzy as we sat down for a slow cook. We watched the local men make toffee over their doors, they stretch and pull the toffee out before dividing it into little bars. The town has a road going west that drops down into the Amazon basin. The road goes downhill for a massive 62km, passes some spectacular waterfalls and runs past changing vegetation. We hired mountain bikes one morning and set off to check it all out. Evenings were spent eating in our favourite restaurant, casa hood, yellow walls covered in paintings reminded us of our old flat in Bristol, Patrick and Abi hope its all good at number 20. Daily happy hour from 6 till 8 and regular films helped the time go by. After 5 days we said our goodbyes to the friends we had made in the hostal, with some future arrangements to meet up again in Peru and NZ, and took a bus to our next stop Riobamba, not before passing some of the damage caused by the last time the volcano erupted. Cooper Out Love Dan & Kat