Banos a Puyo a Riobamba

I have been on the move and I am now sitting in an internet cafe in Riobamba, a city in the Andes south of Quito. Before leaving Banos, I managed to catch a few hours of sun and enjoy the natural hot baths. There were three different pools, all made of concrete but with water that is naturally heated. One was frigidly cold, another was warm, and the third was scaldingly hot, around 118 degrees. After jumping between all three I could hardly feel my legs but it was a neat experience. That same afternoon I went on a hike with Felix, a French guy with a guitar that I met at my hostel. We climbed to the top of one of the surrounding mountains, a steep hour walk, and had a view over the whole city.

I left Banos rather late and arrived in Puyo in the dark. It was a little intimidating but I got a taxi and found a very nice place to stay called Las Palmas. They assured me at the hotel it was safe to walk alone at night and I went out to eat and explore. The city, set in the region of Ecuador called the Orient and close to the jungle, had a different feeling in the air. It was humid and slightly less developed with paved sidewalks and dirt roads. The next morning I had a wonderful complimentary breakfast at the hotel and then met an older couple from Sweden. They had been to Puyo once before and advised me to visit this spot with native animals. Before going I took a walk with them along the Rio Puyo with lush vegetation. Then I managed to catch a local bus, after walking along the road for a while, to the zoocraidia. There I saw monkeys, turtles, an alligator, large rodent like things, and a strange friendly creature that is a distant relative of the elephant.

This morning I left Puyo and came to Riobamba. Its a good stopping point on my way to Cuenca tomorrow. There is also a famous train ride that leaves from here, where passengers are able to ride on the roof of the train. Unfortunately the most popular section of the track is closed due to all the rain, but I still plan to ride a section of the track tomorrow morning and then get a connecting bus.