Baños, Ecuador 🇪🇨 

A slow, easy start to today with a trip to the tour agent. We enthusiastically sign up for white water rafting tomorrow and to hire bikes on Wednesday. They suggest a tour up to Casa de Arbol, but I think we can do it ourselves. Sure enough there is a local bus that can take us up for a dollar which is a relief as I think Justin has been contemplating a hike up!

The Casa de Arbol is of course a tree house, but off it hangs simple swings that go out over the edge of the hill, marketed as a ‘swing at the end of the world’. On a clearer day you can see the Tungurahua volcano. We arrive after passing several imitations and pay our entry. It’s not too busy and there are four swings for us to choose from. Whilst this is a simple concept, it is great childlike fun to swing out and back so we have two goes just to make sure we get good pictures…

We have decided to take a scenic hike down via a mirador but manage to miss the badly signposted turn offs. We eventually find a turn that takes us past a huge cross (that is illuminated at night) and downwards to the town. It is pretty steep and slippery but gets us great views and a bit of exercise before finding a coffee shop with hammocks to recover in.

Tonight we visit the ‘healing’ thermal baths that Baños is famous for, La Piscinas de la Virgen. We time our arrival for evening opening when they refresh the water. It is nice but only one bath where I can take the temperature and bobbing in a crowded murky bath whilst wearing the obligatory hired pink hair cap can only be done for so long. We last an hour before hopping out in favour of clean showers at our hotel. A tasty Italian pasta followed by a chocolate fondant rounds off a good first day in Baños.