I went to Baños but not for the baths

When I was telling people about my weekend plans to go to Baños, I was afraid I was going to pull a Romeo. Some declare this cool little town about 3.5 hours outside of Quito to be superior to Mindo. "Shoot," I thought. "I've just gone on and on about Mindo, and now I´m going to go fall hard core for Baños." It seems acceptable for a 15-year-old boy's love to be so fickle and flighty, but a refined 30-year-old woman should have a better idea of what she wants. (Though, on that note, I think I know more about what I don't want...) In the end, the worry that my heart would turn so quickly was for naught. While I wouldn't say I prefer Baños to Mindo, Baños does offer a number of outdoor adventures, great restaurants and über cheap spa treatments. It was another lovely weekend.

Last week, due to Fiestas de Quito, we finished the school week at 10:45 am on Thursday. Michelle, quickly becoming a surrogate older sister (or sugar momma--more on that later), and I hopped in a taxi to the bus station, bought our tickets, and boarded a bus to another sweet South American town. To get this far without any misadventures was, honestly, pretty refreshing. I am still kind of amused at how the buses work here. As we are making our way to Baños, the bus stops fairly frequently and the driver's assistant, as I will call him, hangs out the door and yells out our destination. People get on and off the bus all the way to the destination. There isn't really such a thing as a bus that just goes directly to a town, at least not as I have experienced it.

My first impression of this "gateway to the jungle" wasn't all that enthralling, but, well, first impressions aren't everything. After checking into our hostel, Posada del Arte, which was pretty freakin' cute, we headed directly to the spa we had told about, Yerbabuenas.

Room with a view...

Super chevere!

While I opted for a facial, Michelle went for the massage (I had been told to keep your undergarments on for the massages as the masseuses climb up onto you on all fours--I kindly passed along this information). By this point, I was taking quite well to the town. Follow inexpensive spa treatments with dinner at a place like Quilombo, which is a super eclectic Argentine restaurant that serves generous glasses of vino, and yay, I'll be cool hanging out in this place for awhile.

7:00 pm is a bit early for dinner in the Southern Hemisphere, as you can see, but check out the decor!

There were all these funky figurines hanging from the ceiling.

Those blocks are the menus. Michelle and I share a passion for fine cuisine. #kindredspirits

As we went to pay for dinner, I came to find that my Produbanco bank card is missing. I was certain I put it in my purse, but it was MIA. A bit of panic set in. In addition to worrying about someone having access to my funds, Michelle would once again have to foot the bill. It has become a running joke as she is often having to front me money for silly reasons. She was kind enough to give me a generous allowance for the weekend. (I have since located my card at the Swissotel, where I had sushi the week before.)

After dinner Michelle and I bummed around town a bit, found that there are actually some very cool little town squares, and retired at a reasonable hour to read and catch up on sleep. (Meanwhile in Quito, many of our friends were livin' it up for Fiestas.)

Breakfast in our hostel Friday morning proved fruitful, not just because they served delicious huevos rancheros, but because a fellow traveler told us about what an adventure it is to rent bikes and ride to a number of cascadas, or waterfalls. While Mindo is a bit more of a sleepy little town, Baños is one to offer lots of outdoor adventures. In fact, when my students heard I was taking this trip, they all began suggesting I do some good rafting and four-wheeling. As I continued to think about massages and pedicures, it occurred to me how likely it is that I am quite un-fun these students' eyes. Anyhow, they'd be a bit proud that I opted for something more than a relaxation retreat. 

sunscreen: check
 helmet: check
gafas del sol: check
"Let's do this!"

So the biking trek started off by riding down a road, a highway really, to get to each cascada. Have no fear, I was wearing a helmet, so the huge trucks whizzing by weren't intimidating at all. (Mom, I still think this was a safer bet than trying out the swing that gives you a view of the edge of the world.) 

See that big bike? That indicates to the truck drivers that they must share the road. As you probably already know, driving laws are very respected here. 

Just as I was feeling pretty smug about how in shape I am from those spinning classes, we turned off the main road and started quite the climb uphill to the first waterfall. Mmmm, there was a lot of walking the bike up that hill going on. After that bike-walking-climb, there is another little hike where you leave the bike behind before reaching the actual waterfall. It looked something like this:

And here is a look at the second cascada:

There are a number of waterfalls that one can hike to along this path, but after the first two, our legs were already burning, so we opted to go the one we were told was The Best! and then head back to town for yet another spa treatment.

El Diablo, as the waterfall is endearingly named, proved worth the effort. After climbing through some tunnels cut out of the mountain, we arrived. Check out the power of this cascada...nope, sorry, Blogger doesn't want to upload the video. Little devil. 

Well, anyway, after checking out the falls, we needed some sustenance of course, and, after lunch, as we were walking back to where we left the bikes (and would catch a truck back to town), I stopped at a juice stand where I had the best carrot-mango juice of my life. Previously I had never had carrot-mango juice, but even if I had, this was still the el mejor de mi vida! After exclaiming how delicious my second glass was, the juice stand man poured me even more. Really, I was good marketing for him. 

As we were arriving back into the center of town, we stumbled across a parade. Couldn't miss it really. 

Bright colors and festive music. 

A lady and her gentlemen.

It is quite unfortunate that we never found these mariachi men in the evening. They had awesome moves. Michelle and I are convinced the eligible bachelors are kept in some locked room. Whose got the key??

After a manicure for me and another massage for Michelle, we met up with Sung (a fellow teacher AND Minnesotan) and his girlfriend Liz for dinner at a great French restaurant. Crepe with spinach and cheese? Yes, please! Seeing as it was Friday night, Michelle and I though we'd find the action out on the town after dining with the lovely duo. What we found were definitely not those steamy mariachi men, but much younger, drunker men who wouldn't take no for an answer when they asked us to dance. We went back to the hostel a bit disappointed, but altogether the day had been quite nice. 

Before heading back to Quito on Saturday afternoon, guess what we did? Yep, another spa treatment. I went for the massage this time. The rumors proved true. Glad I headed my friend's advice. 60 minutes and $30 later, I was unknotted and unkinked, though. 

After such a weekend, I am sure I will make my way back to Baños as well. I am feeling quite fortunate for these experiences. I've long appreciated one of Twain's quotes: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

So now the Christmas countdown begins. Home in T-10 days. 

Cheers to the holiday season!

Mucho amor,

Jame

Thanksgiving in the cloud forest

Note: Unless otherwise specified, the photos are courtesy Charles Denson. You can see his whole Mindo collection, which is amazing. 

So, it's happened again. I'm in love. Like the totally enamored, can't-stop-thinking-about-you kind of love. And, I'm so good at the honeymoon period. As this is a long distance relationship, that's bound to endure for some time. The apple of my eye? Object of my affection? Mindo. Mindo is magic. No, I see none of Mindo's flaws because I am too busy swooning over Mindo's chocolate factory, El Quetzal, the butterfly garden, a dozen quaint hostels--such as Caskaffesu where we stayed and the Dragonfly Inn where we were served a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner thanks to one of the school counselors and his lovely wife--beautiful hiking trails, and divine coffee (and the attractive British barrista at The Beehive doesn't hurt). I'm not going to lie, it was difficult to come back from this retreat.

Left to right: Bethany, KC, Amanda, Me and Michelle outside the hostel.

We had a half day of school on Friday, so a number of us boarded buses and hopped in cars to travel two hours north of Quito to magnificent Mindo, which, in addition to the above, is also one of the top 20 places in the world for bird-watching.

Hummingbirds are quite popular, but thousands of species call Mindo their home.

Located in the cloud forest, Mindo's climate is often wet, but also warmer than Quito. We lucked out with a dry, sunny weekend.

Swings at the juice bar.

After a pretty easy bus ride (the tour buses do boast comfy seats), we checked in to our hostel and began to wander around the town a bit. I know I am gushing, but seriously, love at first sight. The whole feel of Mindo is just so warm and charming. One can wander its whole perimeter in about 15 minutes. As you meander, you'll find a cute town square, dozens of delicious little restaurants, and an abundance of cute tiendas. We took in these sites as we made our way to El Quetzal for a chocolate tour. I love this chocolate factory/restaurant/hostel for its organic farm growing methods and the absolutely delicious chocolate it produces. Spent a pretty penny on Christmas gifts (and perhaps about a dozen chocolate bars for myself).

Later, as people went different directions for various restaurants para comer la cena, I went for Italian at El Nomada. I sampled a friend's gnocchi, which was scrumptious, and took down my own plate of tortellini. After dinner all the teachers gathered at The Dragonfly Inn, where many of us were staying, to hang out and savor the fresh night air and a cocktail. I retired at a decent hour to save myself for the big dinner and dance on Saturday.

Me levanté a las ocho mas or menos en sábado. After throwing on some running duds, I made my way to The Beehive for a light breakfast. So, I love Mindo, but I might have been drawn thus to take another look at that cute Englishman. Anyway, after breakfast I met up with Rebecca, Alli, Charles, Kim, and Bethany so we could hit the trails for a pretty intense uphill jaunt. Many of you did your Turkey Trot to prepare for a big Thanksgiving dinner. Well, we did the Jungle Jog to earn our mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. It was quite breathtaking. Mindo isn't officially the jungle, but it certainly feels like it when you hit the trails that surround the town. I'd like to say I was tranquilly breathing in the cloud forest air here, but really I was sucking wind. I can't complain, though. As I was bounding up the trail (in the company of Alli, who competes in Ironman competitions, and Charles, her fiance, both of whom have been personal trainers), I was feeling tough. I had one of those moments where the perfection of the moment just hits me. I soo could not be doing this back home I thought to myself. As we've previously concluded, the daily grind of life is not charming, or picturesque, or romantic, so when you do find yourself in such a moment, drink it in. Taste it. Smell it. Breathe it. Savor it. Just be with it.

If you check out the view, you'll see why it is called the cloud forest. 

We followed our run with lunch back at El Quetzal. I bought more stuff. I am currently obsessed with candied ginger. Lunch was then followed by a couple of hours of reading, sitting on the porch of my hostel...and at The Beehive. After this lounging, it was time to get fixed up for the Thanksgiving dinner, which has become something of a legendary tradition. Amanda and I made our way over to the Dragonfly a bit before 7 and walked into the dining area to find white tableclothes and wine glasses already filled with vino tinto. As more of the Americano teachers gathered, we chatted and milled about a bit before Todd requested we find our seats. Our meal began with ceviche, non-traditional, but a perfect warm-up for our taste buds. The main menu, prepared by Todd´s wife, Lorena, included turkey, stuffing, green beans with real fried onions, and mashed potatoes. Honestly I was grateful the food was plated for me because I could easily have gone back for seconds. Instead, I was still up for dessert: maracuyá (passion fruit) mouse and a light pumpkin pie bar. Both were delicious, and I was especially grateful for the pumpkin pie as this is one of my favorites!

After a good Thanksgiving dinner, I am content to doze in front of the TV, with the football game playing as ambient noise, but this year, after dinner, the dancing commenced. Rumor has it that there has been dancing on the tables at this belated Thanksgiving celebration. While we kept our shoes on the floor this year, we spent many hours gettin' jiggy wid it and shaking our booties until the early morning hours. My new friend, Mr. Mark Englishman, even joined us. A girl does appreciate a fun dancing partner. Again, I had one of those life is so grand right now moments. A couple of months ago I would never have known this is what the holiday would look like this year. Sometimes I really can appreciate the unpredictability of life...the unknowns.

So, the rooster crowing woke us all at an early hour on Sunday, before dawn broke, but I managed to drift in and out of sleep until 8:30. Sunday began with breakfast at the Dragonfly, followed by a great mochaccino at The Beehive. After packing (and feeling a bit of the Sunday blues about leaving), Amanda, Charles, Alli and I checked out the orchid and butterfly gardens. Turns out Mindo has even more Zen than I originally thought.

Photo courtesy Ms. Amanda Manning. Feeling like the butterfly whisperer here.

This...is a bit butterfly.

After lunch at Caskafessu, we boarded the 3-o-clock bus back to Quito, arriving back to the city in time to grab groceries and begin preparing for a short week ahead. (Fiestas de Quito this week means 3.5 days of school. Baños, the hot springs, beacons. I'll be chillin' here:
Posada del Arte.) It goes without saying that I will be returning to Mindo in the not too distant future. Mom and Dad come in January and I have quite the list of places to take them; Mindo will certainly be one.

Each week continues to get a bit easier here in South America. I am really looking forward to Christmas, though, when I will get to cuddle with my adorable nieces, eat plenty of homemade ravioli, thanks to Dad, Grandpa Red and Uncle Joe, and just enjoy the love and company of my family and friends back home. I´ve got Christmas music streaming in my classroom right now; while I haven´t missed the cold and snow, I´ll appreciate it for the holidays.

Mucho amor a todos,

Jame

BTW! A shout out to my littlest sister and her NEW fiancé Tom! The Baci clan is happy to be welcoming another great man into the fam!