Friday Aug. 3, 2007
The hot springs in Papallacta sounded like a great idea, but the road there proved to be a bit muddy and chilly at over 4000 m (13,123 ft). Once I was there though, I forgot all about it for the whole day while I soaked my sore foot in the 6 different temperature pools. It was one of the most relaxing days I can remember on my entire trip, and I was glad I took the opportunity to disconnect for a whole day.
Then I was off to the town of Banos (baths) where I stayed in a very nice art gallery/museum/hostal. I checked out their hot springs, but they were dirty looking so I decided not to take the plunge. I did however see them making toffee by hand in the streets and I took a hike up a mountain one evening to see an active volcanoe, but couldn't because of the clouds, so instead I took a swing beneath a picturesque tree-house.
Next I headed north-east towards the Amazon jungle to visit the Napo river, one of the main rivers feeding the Amazon to a small village named Puerto Misahualli, where I could experience a little of the wildlife that lived in the jungle. As to be expected, it was hot and humid, or perhaps I was inspired by the monkeys I saw there, but I decided it was time for a change. So after 10 months of trying to grow my hair long and look like a hippee, I realized it just wasn't practical - or me - and sheared off most of it.
I was warned that the monkeys steal anything and to keep an eye on my stuff, but I was surprised when I saw one run up behind a woman and steal a bottle of water right out of her hand. It was funny watching them play with a local dog, and after watching them rub raw onions all over themselves in a kind of drunken state with some other tourists, I decided to gave it a try while one sat on my lap. I was careful though because they're extremely fast and I was told they can sometimes get agressive.
While I was there I took a short boat trip up the river to visit an indigenous community to see how they live. I tasted leaves from trees used for spices or medicine and held animals I'd only ever seen on TV. It was very cool.
While camping, I awoke in the middle of the night and wondered why my bones were aching. It was when I realized they were contacting the ground that I knew my very expensive, inflatable sleeping pad had gone flat. I blew it up and went back to sleep, only to repeat this exercise two more times that night. Later, after testing it with soap and water I found it was not a punture or tear, but rather the fabric itself leaking slowly - everywhere! The pad was 18-months old, but had a 5-year warranty, so I described the problem by e-mail to Campers Village and shortly after received a very surprising reply from assistant Manager Notriga Kasad. He said they would gladly replace it with a new one and wanted to know where I would like it sent (they would even pay for sending it there). Of course they wanted me to return the defective one, but since I was so far away and really couldn't just carry it with me until I got back (and I had a video of it leaking), he asked Exped to make an exception and they agreed. I wasn't happy that my pad failed, but I'm very happy with the excellent service I received from Campers Village and Exped.
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Back on the road again I headed south-west past the 6310 m (20,702 ft) high Chimborazo volcanoe on a chilly highway plateau at 4378 m (14,363 ft) and 5 C (41 F) degrees.
Back on the coast at Manta I continued south along the much talked about 'Route of the Sun' to Salinas, which turned out to be a disappointment. The highway was full of potholes and gravel on the corners, and would change into a dirt road which strayed off into the dry and empty shrub-hills often. rather than following the coastline like I was lead to believe. At one point I was surprised to see a couple of tents of men selling cookies at an intersection between 2 of these dirt roads near a small group of houses.
The nicest, and probably the only nice part of Guayaquil is the Malecon 2000 where the government has dumped tons of money into improving an ugly riverfont. More noteworthy, is their efforts to clean up a nearby area named Las Penas where they have completely refaced an entire community on a steep hillside that you can only walk in. Interestingly, if you look inside the doors or windows of these houses and stores you will still see the old building.
Both directions of the highway to Cuenca were closed for an hour one day while 4 motor-less go-carts raced down the hill. I couldn't figure out what people were telling me and I didn't know how long it would be closed for, but I was glad to see it wasn't closed for an accident. Cuenca turned out to be a nice city with an interesting market and some nice architecture.
As with all the roads in Ecuador, the one to Vilcabamba had a few rough spots. The town itself turned out to be very nice and quiet though, nestled among the small green mountains of the south where I did a day hike to get a better view of the valley. I enjoyed my stay at the comfortable Le Rendez Vous Hostal (www.rendezvousecuador.com) run by a friendly young French couple.
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