Baños, Ecuador 🇪🇨 

Slightly apprehensive about our activity today. Last time I went white water rafting my last dunking was not particularly pleasant, but I rationalise that today’s rapids are graded 3&4 so should not be as crazy.   

We pick up our safety gear and set off on a 45 minute drive along the river to our entry point. Our raft has 6 people plus the guide, who all speak English so following commands should be straight forward. I am pleased to be with 4 guys so we should have the muscle to paddle out of trouble. It soon becomes clear that our guide is going to use the muscle to paddle into the rapids. I wedge my feet under the rope, say a prayer and start paddling.  

We are on the river for an hour and travel around 20km through different grades of rapids, all good fun with a few scary sections. I was very pleased that I managed to stay in the raft and a little dissapointed when it ends. We climb out and change al fresco style before climbing back into the van. We arrive back in Baños in the late afternoon following a pit stop for a roast chicken and rice lunch which was included in the day.

Our preferred coffee house is closed but we find a better one near the square and sample a tasty flat white. Tonight is Justin’s choice thus we enjoy a burger and a couple of beers in a brewhouse, mine being a ‘ginger’ beer which was very good.