We biked the ``Ruta de las Cascadas´´, which took us to several of the well-known waterfalls in the area.
Off the right side, we had a view of el Manto de la Novia waterfalls:
Then, we stopped for a ride on the tarabita (cable car):
View down the valley from the cable car:
Next stop: La cascada ``El Pailón del Diablo´´Hiking down, there were several signs about taking care of nature:
(English: ``God loves you. Look for Him in nature.´´)
We loved the solitude of the trail!
Right before reaching the waterfall, the sign said the following:(English: ``Are you prepared for a surprise?? God exists!!!´´)
Then, we heard the roar of the waterfall, and crossed the bridge to get a better look:
We then crawled up this passageway and up these stairs to reach the back of the waterfall.
It is difficult to capture the power of this waterfall with still pictures, so we took several videos, which we will have to upload another time.
Next up: LUNCH!In Ecuador, you can typically find set lunches (almuerzos) for about $2. This day, we enjoyed a soup, followed by a full plate of rice, potatoes, meat, and salad. Topped off with a small glass of cola.
Energized, we rode to La Cascada del Machay:
You can swim up to the smaller of the two waterfalls, but we had not brought our bathing suits, and still needed to ride back to Baños. Mark decided to quitar sus zapatos and climb the rocks a bit.
On the way back, we caught a ride in one of the trucks meant for picking up cyclists on the route and shared the ride with about 10 other people. Crammed into the back of a truck with our bikes, we shared stories with about 10 folks from Norway, Germany, the US, Argentina, and Ecuador. It was one of our favorite memories.
About our HIKES...
We have completed several long hikes around Baños and one of our favorites was hiking to La Casa del Arbol (the ``treehouse´´ you see below),
which has an amazing view of Volcano Turaguahua.
Above is a picture of us with a muy amable family we met there. They ended up giving us a ride down from the mountain back to Baños since they were heading that way. We hit it off really well with all the members and plan to stay in touch. Off the tree house is a long swing that swings out over the cliff. I would not recommend it if you are scared of heights. For those who want a great view and the feeling of flying, it is a definite must!
Another hike we enjoyed was to the mountain that faces the volcano. It is considered the ``Hike to the
Antennas.´´ Right before beginning the hike, we saw this huge gorge into which folks were zip-lining. If you look carefully in the picture, you can see a tiny person flying toward the rock. It was amazing, but we have plans to do it in Costa Rica, so we bypassed this opportunity.
After starting up the mountain, it started to rain, so we took a break here and enjoyed nutritious oreos:
Of course, all the rain was worth the view from the top!
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