More equador!

Monday May 3rd
We got up pretty early in order to go explore downtown Quito. Alberto was nice enough to take all of our things into his office so we could leave from the downtown terminal. He also gave us a couple of taxi vouchers to get us around. We left his office and said goodbye and thanks for all he did. Alberto and his wife were so nice to us. They immediately made us a part of their family and worked around our schedules to help us out any way that they could. Anyways we hitched a cab to the historical part of Quito. Cabs around the city are pretty cheap at 2 bucks a pop. The historical part of Quito is amazing, partly due to the fact that is is protected so that no historical buildings get torn down. Therefore, all of the buildings look like from another time in history. We arrived at the main plaza which as all plazas in South America include the cathedral and the main government building. We were lucky enough to view a really great government music performance outside of the main building where the president lives. From there we toured three different churches, each spectacular. I have never seen that much gold before. There was this one church that I swear was almost completely gold on the inside. The reason for all of the gold is that there are so many churches in Quito and all were trying to draw people into them. Therefore by adding more gold they could attract more patrons. From the churches we headed up a big hill to where this giant vigin statue was. It was almost like the statue of liberty, walking up plenty of steps and arriving at the top rewarded a spectacular view of the city. I have come to realize that Quito is a city full of great views and that i really need to come back to see everything. From the statue we headed back down to go eat some of Ecuadors famous ceviche. Ceviche is seafood marinated in acidic things such as lime and lemon. We all shared, kalamari, conch, fish, and shrimp ceviche. From there we went to the Basilica National Voto of Quito. This church was so amazing and gothic looking, full with spires, stained glass, and bell towers which were all accessed by shacky ladders! From the basilica we headed to the bus terminal and took a 3 and a half hour trip to banos.
Tues May 4th.
We arrived into banos (yes just like the spanish word for toilet) a little after midnight. We grabbed the cheapest hostal called alcazar. For 5 bucks a person a night, it was a steal. Plus a very friendly grandfatherly man who gave us good advice! We slept and woke up and got some amazing breakfast. I had some pancakes loaded with fresh friut. From there we went and rented mountain bikes for 5 dollars a day. We went on a long journey starting at 11 and went on a very nice but rugged path to a city called puyo. Along the way we saw and got really close to two amazing waterfalls. After the second waterfall it started to rain really hard but we persisted on. Oh yes and also i jumped off a bridge along the way. A 45 meter bridge was all ready with equipment. Really amazing rush and completely safe. After about 2 hours of biking in the rain, my tire went flat. I was relieved because I was really soaked and cold, so we hopped a bus back and returned our bikes. So far it has been a little chilly in ecuador with rain every day. Anyways, we got back from the trip and took a much needed nap and shower and went to eat at this italian place with calzones 3 times the size of my hand! After we headed to a bar to get some huge beers and play cards and listen to 90s jams.
Wednesday May 5th.
Woke up to another awesome pancake breakfast at the same restaurant. We then headed to go ride horses at 10. Our horses were great, very calm but could really gain some ground. They did a good amount of cantering in the mountains which was really great! We were on them for around 4 hours and made a stop at the base of the volcano in banos. We did some hiking, found some volcanic rocks, and found a really neat spring that was full of great tasting carbonated water. We headed back and took a really long nap from lack of sleep and then went to the banos. The banos is a public hot springs which takes hot volcanic water to heat the pools. This water was just what we needed to soak our muscles. We were there for a couple of hours and then headed to a swiss bistro. I had an amazing steak while the others had pasta. After a big dinner, we were all tired so we headed back to the hostal to play some cribbage.
Thursday May 6th
The next morning we had our hearts set on jumping from another higher bridge. This time this one was 100 meters which is a pretty good ways down. Another amazing adrenaline rush and freefall. But i must say standing on the side of a bridge looking down is not something i would do everyday. After jumping, because obviously we didnt want to jump on a full stomach, we had a huge lunch. I had an amazingly huge double chicken sadwhich. From there we took an hour and a half bus ride to puyo to go check out some monkeys. The place we went was called paseo de los monos, a monkey reserve owned by two really friendly people. The reserve itself had 58 monkeys, a boa, and this crazy mix betweem an anteater,bear, and monkey. As soon as we walked in the man said put all valuables in your packs because they will steal them. Just as he told me a little monkey had jumped on my backpack, unzipped my zipper and stole my playing cards! These monkeys were so smart and would reach into your pockets to see if they could take anything to play with or eat. We played with the monkeys for 2 hours, full of monkeys on my head and monkey fights, and just seeing how smart those animals really are. The similarities they have to humans is just so crazy to see. We headed back on the bus, showered up, ate a whole chicken in a restaurant, and hopped on a 9pm bus to Cuenca.
I have never been so exhausted before. Banos was amazing in everyway, and everything a young person could want. Also as with all of ecuador so far, the city is very clean. A big change from venezuela, where trash and bottles litter the street. Ecuador even has a recycling system.
Friday May 7th
We headed for the city of Riobamba first, which was 2 hours away from banos. From there we had to catch a bus on the side of the road to Cuenca, another 5 hours away. Luckily I slept great, but eneded up being in Cuenca at 5am. We took a cab to the nearest hostal, which again was 5 dollars a person per night. I love the cheap lodging here, it really saves on cost. The name of our hostal is Hostal Majestic. The hostal is nice but the rooms are less than majestic. In the rooms there are two beds, thats it. Oh well, i dont plan on spending too much time there anyways. We re awoke at 9 so we could have a chance to explore the city. Cuenca is compared to old town Quito in charm and style. It is a beautiful city with colonial buildings and churches. We took a look at the cathedral and the main plaza. We also headed to the market where i had a milkshake of egg, papaya, carrot, tomato, rasberry, and alfalfa. Really good and good for my health! From there we headed down the scenic riverway and checked out an aboriginal museum full of all kinds of artifact. Then we went to have some good old Mexican food. Really hit the spot! From there we went to the huge and amazing bank museum full of everything ecuadorian history. This also included an amazing exhibit on shrunken heads! Well thats were I am now, but we are headed into Peru tomorrow to see where it takes us!