The Amazon Jungle and Banos

The verdict on the tradtional dinner that consisted of ants and larva...not too bad!

On our second day in Tena, we went on a trek to Parque Nacional Llanganates where we encountered more beautiful waterfalls and a natural swimming hole. Our guide, Tony, was very informative on  how much the people rely on the forest for all resources. Every plant and animal has a use in their everyday lives. That night we went out on the town to a discoteque with friends from the hostel (1 American, 1 Brit and a German) where every bar felt the need to play ¨Bad Boys¨ from Cops when we walked in. Guess that is how they view us Americans!

Saturday morning we took a bus to Banos, about 3 hours south of Tena where our German friend, Jens, joined us. Banos is a small town nestled in a valley of lush mountains and Tungurahua (¨Throat of Fire¨) volcano, the most active in the world. The first day we took a Chiva tour which is an open sided bus that takes you up and down the valley for views of the many waterfalls. That night we met a father and son from Orlando, small world! Tonight at 1am we are headed on a 10 hour bus ride to the coast. Here we come Montanita!

Wanted to post this last night with photos but was having internet issues. Photos soon to come.

We made it!

We arrived in Quito with no problems on Monday night. Stayed at a hostel (Traverler´s Inn) in La Mirascul, right outside of Old Town. A family run place, very clean but a bit expensive ($40 for a private room with bano). It did include a substanial breakfast consisting of fresh fruit, bread, eggs, queso fresco, coffee and freshly squeezed juice. The next day we went to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) where we straddled the northern and southern hemisphere and saw llamas!

Wednesday we took a bus to Tena, Ecuador which is about 230km south of Quito. The bus ride was supposed to be 5-6 hours long, but our maniac bus driver did it in 4 hours! The winding roads through the Andes didnt agree with Cory´s stomach at one point..ugh! We are now staying at Hostal Pakay, a tree house tucked away in the rainforest. It is a self sufficiant hostel ran by an Ecuadorian/German couple who have been amazing hosts. Today we took a 30 mintue bus ride ($.25) to Misuhalli, a town on the Rio Napo (a tributary of the Amazon River). There were crazy monkeys (monos) all over town looking to grab anything from anyone. Next we took a bus to Cascada de Latas (waterfalls) where we hiked about an hour to the falls. On tonights menu, prepared by our lovely hosts, is Tilapia cooked in banana leaves with fried ants! We will let you know how that goes! Next stop is a town called Banos, known for their thermal hot springs. Update again soon!