The rain finally stopped in Baños this morning. We were enjoying a morning coffee on the rooftop terrace of our hostel when Isabelle suggested that we stay an extra night. I had to think about for about half a second before agreeing. I went downstairs to book the night for Meghan and I, when who did I run into but two of my friends from UW, Shaz and Ryan! Of all the hostels in all the cities in South America...
We spent the afternoon mountain biking down the side of the Tungurahua Volcano on the outskirts of town. The biking company trucked us up the mountain and dropped us off at the base of the volcano. When we got out the guide asked if we could hear a rumbling in the distance. Apparently the rumbling was coming from the still active volcano. We stood in awed silence before I asked what was faster - lava flow or mountain biking. There are several suggestions I would make before you decide to go biking in Ecuador, or anywhere in general. First make sure that the biking path isn´t entirely cobblestones and rocks. Then make sure that the shock absorbers on the bike aren´t totally fake. Watch out for dogs and cows too - they´re pretty spry. When you´re flying down the mountain absorbing the shock of a thousand rocks per second, you can take your mind off the agony by seeing how long you can go without pressing the handle brakes. My personal record is 3.5 seconds.
To reward ourselves after finishing the bike ride, we sat down for a delicious lunch in el centro of Baños. We ate at a restaurant that makes an Ecuadorian specialty called ´cuy.´ Do you know what cuy is? Guinea pig. I´ll never look at them the same way again.
Tomorrow we leave for Quito, and the next day we´re flying to the Galapagos Islands.
Ciao!
-V
2 comments:
so what was it like making a meal out of what some people call a pet??
It felt deliciously evil. I ate it with my pinky finger pointing upwards. Then I digested while tenting my fingers.
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