Sunday 26 February 2012

We had decided to go to the thermal baths in the morning and then try for a massage, so we headed off for the Piscinas de la Virgen, which is the only hot thermal baths and is also apparently, the most appealing of them, and which is also located at the bottom of a waterfall.

My guidebook had recommended getting up for sunrise but admitted that most gringos don't make it there that early. After paying our $2 entrance fee, I could see why it had recommended going early: it was packed, a bit like school summer holidays where there's hardly any room to move! I had been warned by Anya that the water was not clear (muddy brown) and had been prepared for that but not the crowd for the three daytime pools (there are also 2 night-time ones) and whilst I was prepared to go for 10 or 20 minutes, Eva and Joe weren't keen although it wouldn't have been worth it to change, shower (as was required) before entering the pool.

We were the only foreigners and we were gawped at by some of the locals (picture stock-still staring, gaping mouths and you've pretty much got it: it's been pretty consistent everywhere we've been). Plus one of us would have had to be looking after our stuff (even though none of us had brought our cameras for safety's sake) as there weren't any lockers (silly me, for expecting that!). So after a look-see and discussion, we headed back out and towards the nearby two massage places mentioned in our guidebooks and which we had spotted on the way to the baths.

The first massage place said we couldn't all have a massage at the same time for a half-hour ($20) but we could if we all took an hour ($35 each), and it would have to be in an hour's time (to get the available staff plus they it would only be able to get people willing to come in for an hour as opposed to a half-hour). The one across the road said we could all do it together, also in an hour's time, but as it only cost $25 for an hour's relaxing massage (out of about 6 to 8 types available), we agreed and paid a deposit.

We wandered around and sat outside the park, killing time, in glorious sunshine, until it was time to go back. We were told that two of us would be in one room and one in another and asked if we wanted to have 1 guy and 2 girl masseuses or three chicas and I immediately asked for three, knowing that the others had already mentioned their preferences on the way there. However, it meant that we didn't all get a massage at the same time: Joe got his more or less on time, mine was at 10:45 and Eva's at 11, as they had to be brought in especially for us. It meant that we would get back to the hotel a bit late for checkout time, but it couldn't be helped.

I got up onto the massage bed (complete with a quilt which was used to cover you when the masseuse massaged a different part of your body) face-down and had my back rubbed, arms and hands, done as well as my spine pressed (almost like at a chiropracter's, I thought), thighs, calves and feet massaged. It was firmer than I expected for a "relaxing" massage: she attempted to crack my spine and did crack my neck; also, when she massaged my thighs, especially the inner, I almost giggled as it was a bit ticklish, same with my calves, which felt tight. My neck was also tight as well and she massaged right up into my skull, giving me tingles and then did a bit of a head massage. We were then left to doze for about 10 minutes until it was time to leave; poor Joe had to wait for us by almost half an hour and was given a free bottle of water whilst he waited.

We then went back to check out of the hotel, bypassing another hostel that Joe liked the look of so we checked it out, and he made the decision to check in there later. I think it helped that the receptionist/owner was English-speaking and not Ecuadorian.

Then it was lunch, goodbye to Joe, and hop onto a bus for Aloag, where we hoped to change for a bus to Santo Domingo. Heading out of Baños, it was interesting to see the patchwork quilt of cultivated land all over the mountainside, right up to and over the peak; fairly intensively too, in that virtually all of the mountain side seemed to be cultivated.

In the end we missed Aloag (helped by the conductor who, when asked, telling us that we'd get to Aloag at 5pm) and ended up at Quito from which we then had to get a Santo Domingo bus. It meant that we got off the bus at 6:50 pm and walked up the path in the dark: I was so glad that I'd decided to bring my head torch as I knew it would be a longer trip back, even if we missed Quito (which we didn't!).