4th November

The journey was once again amazingly picturesque as we twisted and turned our way up and over the many mountains and volcanos that make up Ecuador.

As we neared Baños the road disappeared through many tunnels in the hillside and the views we did have of waterfalls into the river Pastaza below us were only bettered by those brave enough to do one of the various canopy lines from one side of the gauge to the other, seemingly a very popular activity.

We had been told by the bus staff that we would be dropped at the bus station so it was a little surprise when we were dropped off on the side of the main road. But this was not a huge problem as the bus station was only situated a couple of hundred metres up the road.

Baños is set in a fantastic location, in the shadow of active volcano Tungurahua there are lush green mountains wrapped right around the town. It is famous for its melcocha (taffy) and so as we walked towards our hostel we saw many shop owners stretching the toffee on various hooks outside their shops around town.

Baños is small and perfectly easy to negotiate on foot. In contrast to Tena it is sunny without being humid and our rather value-for-money hostel is located close to the central park, Parque Central.

Having not eaten all day we sought out some sort of lunch settling on a local place run by an old man which had no other customers. I ordered the menu del dia consisting of meatball soup followed by pork chop and rice washed down with a deliciously sweet juice while Kirsty opted for a baguette stuffed full of meats, cheese and vegetables. While we ate, the small and rather antiquated tv was on, broadcasting rather surreally, the highlights of an English league cup game which had recently taken place.

We had a wander around checking out the location of the hot springs ("Baños" being Spanish for baths) caused by the underground heating of water by the nearby volcano. We also passed the market where we saw and heard cuy (guinea pig) being offered for sale, something we were determined to try a taste of. As we had just eaten and most of the stalls were packing up after lunch this would have to wait for another day. As it was a small place we wanted to familiarise ourselves with the layout of the town before we ventured to one of the plentiful tour operators to enquire about day trips into the jungle. Although we liked what we had heard, we wanted to speak to another tour operator to gauge the prices and because this second one was recommended however the office was shut until later.

Using the time constructively we moved on to the bus station where we bought our onward bus tickets to Riobamba departing in a few days time. Returning to Parque Central we sat down and waited watching many people, Ecuadorian holidaymakers perhaps, having their photo taken at a local attraction called the Puente del Amor (Bridge of Love).

Since the tour agency never seemed to open we found a cafe to have a coffee and decide how best to spend our four days here. Having come up with a rough plan for our time we returned to the hostel to get ourselves ready for a night out in the town.

For dinner we visited a local restaurant specialising in Argentinian grills. As soon as we arrived, we knew we were onto a winner. Less "restaurant" and more "mate's house" a real quirky place with low level lighting and live music creating a fantastic atmosphere and very attentive waitress service it was a fantastic place to be. And the quantity and quality of food was amazing!!

We chose to share the mixed grill which came in several courses starting with an appetiser. Then bread with pesto, chilli and garlic butter. Next four types of sausage (including black pudding) and a salad. Then came a couple of chops before butterfly chicken and finally two perfectly cooked beef steaks. Together with generous quantities of red wine and beer and cheery staff, all for under £20, money well spent!!

We continued our night with a couple of beers at another cafe before returning home for a well-deserved sleep.

5th November

This morning we had breakfast in Baños at a rather upmarket restaurant run by an expat Danish lady who was forthright in her views on the upcoming US presidential election. All very bizarre and not what I was expecting with my morning coffee!

Leaving the cafe a little bemused we headed to the end of town and the start of the path up to the Bellavista viewpoint. To find the start of the path was a tad difficult and not as easy as it should have been but we were pointed in the right direction by a friendly passer-by.

The path up was relentlessly steep but the views afforded over Baños made any aches and breathlessness worthwhile. We passed a couple of walkers on their way down and were passed by a crazy runner who later also passed us on his way down. Apart from this the route was fairly quiet which added even more to the enjoyable ramble.

Eventually huffing and puffing we reached the Bellavista lookout dominated by a steel cross looking out over Baños. The cross can be seen from the streets of Baños and it was surprising how huge it was close up.

After spending some time here snapping away (unfortunately Volcano Tungurahua was covered in cloud) we went back down the trail before turning off and walking a very steep very narrow zig-zag path uphill. This took us past Cafe del Cielo where, hot and sweaty, we stopped for a rewarding drink and sit down, admiring the view as we regained our breath.

We continued across the hill-side for an hour or so to the other side of Baños and to the Statue of the Virgin and a completely different view of the town. From here we took the many steps down and returned to our hostel where we rested.

Hoping to be able to book a jungle trip for tomorrow, we went out to the tour operator to find it was shut. Having not eaten since breakfast we took the opportunity to have some late lunch before tiredness kicked in and we returned to the hostel.

Originally we were planning to go to the hot baths after which Baños is named but the rain meant it wasn't really an option. We did venture out later for a small dinner before which we went to the tour operator who was now open. Booking a trip into the Amazon, we found a small cosy steakhouse for supper and a glass or two of red wine.

6th November

Waking up with the alarm we got ourselves and our bags ready and walked down to the tour agency. After collecting our wellington boots and ponchos, the man at the tour agency joined us for a taxi ride a few blocks to the edge of town. Here we waited 15 minutes for a minibus to arrive before jumping in. We were told there would be 8 others joining us for the day, however the minibus had only two other passengers. We were offered the front seat but refused as we were happy with our middle seats.

The minibus made one further stop at the bus station (having passed rather bizarrely both our hostel and the tour agency) where a further 11 people were picked up. It transpired all 13 people were related and from Ecuador, making Spanish the lingua franca and making us feel a little alienated. No wonder we were offered the front seats!

After returning to our pick up point to sort out ponchos and wellington boots for the others and to pick up our guide for the day, we were finally on our way out of Baños towards the jungle.

Driving back along the road we had arrived on, our first stop was at a zoo. Here we were treated to animals and birds which normally live in the Amazon but which we wouldn't see in the part we were visiting. So for example we saw boa constrictors, tortoises, wild pigs, tapier, puma, ocelets and jaguar together with various parrot and monkey species. Despite the fact this part of the jungle is at a higher altitude, it was still noticeable how much more humid it had become since Baños.

We drove on, deeper into the jungle, to our first community where we had the opportunity to view various items of jewellery and other decorations made by the women of the community. We got to meet a number of the women and menfolk who explained about their wares and offered us the chance to buy souvenirs and to sample their chicha, a fermented drink made from maize.

Entrance to the area was via a rickety old bridge across a wide, fast flowing river - never has a bridge swayed so much! During our stay Kirsty managed to persuade a young girl who was drawing on a boy's arm to draw on her hand. The "ink" coming from the sap of an unidentified jungle fruit.

Our next stop was a little further down the river known as River Puyo where we scrambled into some canoes for a 20 minute saunter downstream. Sounds thoroughly idyllic but there were some hairy moments due to the number of rapids we encountered along the way. Certainly enough for two adrenaline-less junkies like ourselves and suffice to say, nobody left the river dry!

Returning to the minibus, it was approaching lunchtime and so we headed to someone's jungle house to be be fed. Lunch was locro (a type of potato soup) followed by chicken, beans and rice. Afterwards we made the short but reasonably tiring walk up to a viewpoint. We had been fortunate with the weather - during our lunch the rains had arrived with some force but by the time we were out walking the weather was dry again.

From the lookout point it was possible to see the rivers Pastaza and Puyo meeting as well as areas of primary and secondary rainforest. On a clear day, it's also possible to view Volcano Sangay, yet another active volcano in these parts.

Back in our transport we started our ride home making a final stop before leaving the Amazon. This was a half hour trek to the waterfall. Along the way Richard, our guide, explained a little bit about some medicinal trees and also some local clay used for facepacks.

At the end of the route was a 20 metre waterfall dropping vertically into a deep pool. It wasn't warm enough to do anymore than paddle although some hardy souls dunked themselves in the ice-cold water. Kirsty also took the opportunity to wash off her natural facemask that had been applied during the trek.

What started as us with a bunch of strangers became much more cordial during the day and the Ecuadorian family were incredibly courteous and inclusive of us throughout. We had a thoroughly good day with them for company!

After a two hour journey back to Baños we found a cafe to have some dinner and, as the tour operator wasn't open we had to take our wellingtons and ponchos back to our hostel.

Thank you to Sara & Leanne and Sarah & James for the wedding present of a donation towards a trip into the Amazon jungle!

7th November

We were clearly tired last night as a very solid sleep followed, not even the woman on the megaphone at 7am could rouse us out of bed (we suspect she was coming from the nearby school).

We put on our swimwear, grabbed our towels and walked to the other end of town to the outdoor thermal baths, Baños de la Virgen, next door to the Manto de la Virgen waterfall.

After paying a small entrance fee, we disrobed and slipped into the warm bath which was the size of a small swimming pool alongside many local residents including our waiter from last night who gave us a nod of acknowledgement. The water is kept warm by the nearby volcano and the high mineral content gives the water a browinsh tint.

After enjoying the warmth for a little while we swapped to the smaller, hotter pool next door which proved quickly to be too hot! So we returned to the more pleasant temperature of the bigger pool.

An hour and a half later after a thoroughly lazy morning we returned to the hostel (much more relaxed than before) where we changed and showered before going out for some brunch. We chose a nearby cafe to enjoy a couple of baguettes before doing a spot of sightseeing visiting the Bridge of Love before taking some photos from the outside of the Basilic. We also spent a little time taking in the splendour and grandeur of the Basilica from inside. We didn't stay long as we didn't want to be disrespectful to the local people inside who were praying. Catholicism and religion in general seems to play a big but understated part in Ecuadorian everyday life and there are plentiful beautifully adorned churches in every town.

We then headed to Puente San Francisco (San Francisco Bridge) on the outskirts of town. We arrived just as one person did a spot of bridge-swinging. Similar to bungee-jumping after leaving the bridge you swing underneath rather than vertically up and down. We had time to walk the length of the bridge and back admiring the breathtaking views all around us before taking up position to watch the next fool-hardy customer jump.

Seeing two people was enough for us and we returned to town where we had an ice-cream at one of the abundant ice-cream parlours.

We went out again in the evening to return our wellington boots and ponchos before going to yet another local restaurant to eat pasta and chicken and chicken fajitas.

Baños is such a relaxed place, nobody ever seems to rush and it's been great to be able to spend so much time here. That said, we're both ready to move on in the morning.

8th November

We said goodbye to our friendly hostel owners and made our way the short distance through town to the bus station. Here we waited for our bus as we watched Ecuadorian life unfold around us. A little later than scheduled our bus arrived, we put our bags in underneath, boarded and made our way towards some empty seats at the back.