We checked out of our guesthouse with glee and skipped to the bus station for our 8am bus to Riobamba. As we gravitate towards the equator we’ve left behind the high altitude dramatic peaks and defined seasons. The land is much greener and the threat of rain an ever-present i.e. it’s getting much more tropical and we know not to expect clear blue skies every day. We still have some trekking pencilled in that will take us to more of the beautiful Andean ranges but there’s an increased likelihood that it’ll be a soggy experience.
As with Bolivia and Peru we passed through predominantly agricultural land but Ecuador doesn’t strike us as being as poor. It is one of South America’s poorest nations yet towns have a more affluent feel to them. Homes seem to be more spacious, tidily finished off and there are significantly more private vehicles around. Today’s journey to Riobamba has seen us pass through many rural, non-touristy towns where we’ve seen increasing numbers of people wearing traditional clothing. Maybe the places we’ve visited so far aren’t a true reflection of Ecuador but we’ve not encountered ramshackle villages or abject poverty en route.
On reaching Riobamba we hopped in a taxi to take us to a trek office in town as we had tentatively planned to do a 3-day trek in the area. With it being Sunday the office was as firmly closed as we’d expected so we moved on to Plan B. We didn’t have time to organise the trek on Monday to start the following day as we have to be in Guayaquil on Thursday because we fly to Galapagos early the next morning. So we jumped in another taxi to take us to the north end of town and by 3pm we were back on the Panamericana and headed for Banos. Much of the scenery was reminiscent of Britain though of course we were looking at mountains not hills. The patchwork of fields cloaking the lower slopes and smaller hills is quite surreal; it looks like someone’s thrown a patterned quilt over the landscape.
We checked into Plantas y Blancos Hostal that came highly recommended in our Lonely Planet – this time we followed their advice and found ourselves in superior accommodation. We got a lovely private en suite room with large window and a vine growing round the ceiling for $24. From our room we could see the usual church dominated square, cloud shrouded hills and trickling waterfall – lovely. Which is more than can be said for Banos; its setting is pretty but the town itself is no oil painting. Another major plus with this hostal was it had a lovely roof-top terrace with free wi-fi and an honesty system on drinks. We sat up there hoping the cloud would clear in the morning as there’s supposedly an active volcano to view.
We spent the morning enjoying a clean, bright room and besides which I had some typing up to do. Once the cloud and rain cleared we went to inspect town but it still didn’t grow on us. There’s the odd attractive building but most of the town is functional and much bigger than we’d expected it to be. We polished off a $2 plate of chorizo, rice and salad, picked up a map of trails, put on our wet weather gear and set off uphill. The weather really didn’t know what to do with itself but luckily the rain held off all afternoon. We decided to do a short plod to a view point, loop round through a village and head back into town. In the end we found ourselves 800m above Banos at a volcano mirador at 2660m!
The Tungurahua volcano is pretty much continuously active and we’d heard it had recently been spewing lava. Since it’s been hidden behind thick cloud since we arrived we’ve no idea what it’s up to at present. As usual with us a short stroll turned into something more strenuous and we probably walked about 10kms. As we approached town the weather was the best it had been all day – typical. At least it had been another day of self-guided walking and again we found everything well sign-posted.
That evening we decided to utilise the hostal’s roof terrace so Steve popped out for a pizza while I helped us to a couple of beers from the fridge. I know, we’re supposed to be on a health kick but we had done quite a strenuous walk today!
We arose to cloud but it didn’t seem as bad as the previous morning so we decided to hire bikes anyway and hope for the best. The 61km road from Banos to Puyo is labelled as La Ruta de les Cascades and accurately so as there are waterfalls a-plenty. There are a number of particularly spectacular ones as the water spills over a ledge and teems down 180o vertical rock faces. The bulk of the falls are within the first 30kms and it’s possible to stop, turn round, flag down a bus and return to Banos at any point. Not us – even though we’d not been on a bike in 3 months we were determined to do the entire route to Puyo. It’s billed as a downhill ride but believe me there is plenty of up and it proved to be a much more energetic activity than we’d thought.
The views were fantastic all the way to Puyo as we followed the river down to the jungle. It’s bizarre to think you can cycle from the mountains at 1800m to the edge of the jungle (950m) in a matter of hours. Even though we were on the main road the traffic wasn’t at all heavy and the vehicles passing us gave us plenty of room. There are cycle signs everywhere and with it being a popular thing to do drivers are courteous towards cyclists. There are a number of tunnels but luckily bikes get to detour round them and these parts proved to be some of our favourite sections.
A couple of hours into the ride we noticed that we were approaching a bank of cloud and sure enough raindrops started to fall. Fortunately we found an abandoned café just as the rain began to pour. Doubly lucky was it was picnic time so we munched under shelter sat on the banks of a roaring river. Banos is a bit of a mecca for adrenalin junkies with canyoning, zip lines and all manner of other stuff on offer. As we were sat in our little shelter a couple of white water rafts floated past – it’s not extreme and would be more fun than frightening. Anyway, the rain abated after half an hour so on we continued to our final destination.
Puyo is not an attractive town but it is a key last port of call before heading into the depths of the jungle. It’s also a good transport hub so it was easy to hop on a Banos bound bus with the bikes tucked away in the hold. Another full day of fun and all for $15; $5 for the bike hire and $2 for the bus. We went for the cheaper bikes which we perfectly adequate for the road ride and proved to be the best we’ve ever hired. Not only did they have gears and good brakes but you were also equipped with helmets and a puncture repair kit. A far cry from the good old days in Sri Lanka where all that was available were the old fashioned black framed Singer numbers. Plus you counted yourself very fortunate if you got the full quota of brakes and pedals!
As we were entering Banos the weather was the brightest and clearest yet and we finally got a glimpse of the snow-capped volcano. I have to say it looked decidedly inactive as we couldn’t even discern a puff of smoke. Still it was great to see and a perfect end to another grand day out.
That evening we ended up back in Quinta Gama restaurant as we’d enjoyed their food on our first night in town. That time we chose their pasta dishes and very tasty and ample they were too. Most of the places in town offer similar menus at similar prices and this place has a slightly reduced menu with prices to match. Plus they are welcoming; don’t have a telly blaring or children squawking and lucking around.
