Banos and Montanita

Banos de Agua Santa is in the highlands of central Ecuador. It is a typical tourist stop and one that we were glad we saw. It’s main attractions are the thermal hot springs that surround the town and the ominous Tungurahua volcano that towers above it. Banos is a town for rest and relaxation and we indulged in what it had to offer by signing up for massages and, in Robyn’s case, a thorough facial. The competition in town is fierce for the tourists’ massage allowances so the prices were much cheaper than you’d find anywhere else – full body treatments cost $25 (which was nothing to stress out about). From our massages we managed to drop ourselves into the hot springs to unwind. Once thoroughly pruney we dragged ourselves, in a state of bliss, into one of the local hippy-vegetarian restaurants and had a great meal. Digesting our food was the most intense activity we engaged in that day. The next day we rented a dune buggy and toured around the town and neighbouring areas, checking out the waterfalls and taking a closer look at the immense volcano. Our time in Banos was brief and short on activities but we enjoyed the pace very much and aren’t ashamed to say we welcomed the time to take a breath.



After Banos we travelled to the coastal town of Montanita, still in Ecuador. We had heard of the great surf here and now that we have gained some semblance of skill at the sport we are anxious for any chance to get on a wave. The place was a typically (awesome) surf town where partying and socializing ride the waves between time on the board. The beach was a little crowded for our liking but we did spend an ample amount of time in the water and satisfied our ‘surf or die’ side for the time being. Montanita was our last stop before we organized ourselves for the Galapagos, which is where we’ve been for the past week…