For our holiday weekend celebrating the Battle of Pichincha when Quito won its independence (also known as Laurene’s last weekend before she started her 6-day-a-week job), a few of us fled the mean streets of Quito for some fresh air, hot springs, and adventure. And how could that be bad?
Poor Ryan was sick with what looked like the flu and wasn’t able to make it. That’s okay, because there are so many outdoor activities to enjoy in Baños that we’re all more than happy to go back. Yes, baños is the Spanish word for bathroom, but the town is named after its restorative hot springs (or baths).
We soaked in some hot springs set at the base of a volcano for a mere $3; at dusk we watched a waterfall trickle down the mountain as we lounged in the mineral pools. Then we worked up a sweat dancing at a club called Son Cubanos, where the happy hour was whenever the DJ said it was.
We came to Baños in search of an adrenaline rush - our next mission was choosing between bungee jumping, river rafting, waterfall rappelling, horseback riding, and hiking.
Looking to change things up a bit while in Nha Trang, Jen and I decided to visit Thap Ba Hot Spring Centre. They have these mineral mud baths that you can use and we figured that would make for a fun afternoon…and I think from the looks on our face we succeeded:
And here’s the after photo:
All for under $6. A fun, fantastic afternoon!
On two hours sleep and crunched in between two long bus rides we visited the strange geological site of Pamukkale in south-western Turkey. The name Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish, as the ancient city of Hierapolis was built on top of these weird white formations. There are some ruins on the way, but the real attraction here is the hot springs. The 17 springs in the area have temperatures which vary between 35°C and 100°C. When the water, which is supersaturated with calcium carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide is released and the calcium carbonate is deposited as a soft jelly, which eventually hardens into a solid. These deposits, or travertines, create terraces from the flowing water. It’s quite stunning and actually looks a bit like snow. But perhaps the most entertaining part of the experience was the glamour shot photo shoots that were going on – guys in speedos telling their bikini-clad girlfriends to “look sexy”. Okay….
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