Quito

Having extended our stay in Baños we had only one night in Quito before catching our flight to Panama. We stayed at a cheap hotel/hostel in the historic sector of the town. We were left slightly unnerved after the first thing we see walking out side of the hostel was a man sprinting away down the road from a local women with her handbag in his arms! Welcome to Quito!!

We spent the afternoon walking round the historic sector and were impressed by its beauty and architecture...we ignorantly had no idea it was like this...probably based on our time in La Paz and Lima. Nonetheless we both just didn't feel comfortable and felt the streets were fairly intimidating. As a result we headed back before it got dark and decided to head out to the new sector of town for food that evening. After getting a recommendation we opted for an Italian restaurant to enjoy pizza and wine whilst celebrating the end of our South American journey! The food was truly excellent and the calzone David had was probably the biggest he has ever seen! It goes without saying that this put a big smile on his face. With Lynne failing to finish her giant pizza we took it back with us in a doggy bag to have the next day!! We went for a few drinks afterwards in nearby bars but found a lack of atmosphere and decided to head back.

Before taking a cab to the airport in the afternoon we spent the morning strolling around the local area once more! At the airport after paying the ridiculous airport fee of $40 each (!) we had mixed emotions, sad, to be leaving South America after an amazing 8 months but happy, looking forward to Panama, Cuba and being a step closer to returning home!(Not that we were ready to return just yet!)

Baños

After a very dodgy night bus ride which we were very relieved to be awoken by the bus driver with all our belongings still intact we followed a fellow Danish gringo to a hostel we had stayed in before. He took us to Plantos y Blancos, a great hostel! They luckily had a room ready and with it being before 6am we went straight to bed!

Baños is a beautiful small town situated at the base of huge lush green hills with waterfalls littered amongst them. We had heard great things about this place and we weren't disappointed. By the end of our first day we had already decided we would stay here an extra night and spend only one night in Quito before our flight to Panama.

The first day we spent wandering around the town before climbing a long stepped path up to the a holy statue they have overlooking the town. This was hard work in the afternoon heat but worth the view over the town and valley.

The second day we went canyoning. This is basically abseiling down waterfalls. With no others in the group we had the guide/instructor all to ourselves, this was comforting to Lynne who had signed up to face her fear of heights. The first 4 waterfalls varied in height (10 – 15 metres) and difficulty and had us actually abseiling right down the middle of the waterfalls. Following a heavy night of rain the water was very strong and it proved very tiring but great fun. The final waterfall was 50 metres high and had us step off a sheer drop and gradually let ourselves down next to the water. This was really exhilarating and fantastic fun. Lynne did herself and David proud by finishing it after almost pulling out at the top!

In the evening we headed for a session in the town's famous thermal baths. Ecuadorians come here from all over the country to spend time in these waters that (like all thermal springs) boast many medical benefits. We were surprised at just how hot they actually were and felt very rejuvenated afterwards before heading out on the town for a few drinks.

For the remaining three days we relaxed enjoying the tranquility of the town and the fantastic hostel (Plantos y Blancos), especially the steam bath sessions the hostel offered. It appears that these are a prerequisite of any accommodation in the town and for only a few dollars a session we made the most of it! The sessions involved us sitting in a big wooden box filled with hot steam broken up by a few washes in very cold water. At all times the spa owner is there and he times the sessions whilst also having the pleasure of hosing you down at the end with more cold water!! By the end of the 3 sessions we definitely felt a difference in our skin....David now has the idea of building one of the steam baths in the flat's garden!

One morning we hired bikes and cycled along the road that heads east to the jungle. This is a popular tourist activity and takes you through some beautiful scenery consisting of lush green hills and waterfalls. Also, it is all down hill and easy to hitch a ride back to town on a bus or in a pick up truck. The main attraction is a walk to the impressive Devils Throat Waterfall. We didn't expect to be so taken back by a waterfall after visiting Iguazu falls but with the opportunity to squeeze through some tight caves and get up close and personal with it you couldn't help but be in awe of the power of this waterfall. After hitching a lift back to town we randomly bumped into Eddie & Alice, a couple from PSF. Using the excuse of catching up we headed out on the town again.

We left Baños feeling well rested looking forward to our flight to Panama, not particularly looking forward to a night in Quito.

Cuenca

Cuenca is a beautiful city nestled within the mountains and national parks of Ecuador. It is most famous for its hat-making, the famous panama hats are made here (not in Panama!) and you can take a trip to local shops to see how they are made.

We spent two days here and enjoyed strolling around the city, taking in the architecture in between numerous stops for coffee and cake. We stayed in the old town at a lovely hostel where we had breakfast everyday overlooking the river. Our first day, we followed the river walkways about 30 mins to check out some Inca ruins close to the city center then visited the beautiful plazas in the old town. That night we met up with a friend from PSF to catch up and take advantage of happy hour!
The next day was lovely and sunny and so we made the most of it lounging by the river, reading our books! Then we were off again, this time to Baños, on our last night bus in South America!

Montañita

We took a night bus to Guayaquil, where we changed at the bus terminal for the three hour bus journey to Montanita. Our first impressions of the Ecuadorian coast were as to how green it was, after the deserts of Peru it was a welcome change to see all the banana plantations and palm trees! We got off the bus at the small station and set about finding accomodation, after splashing out in Mancora we opted to go budget here so ended up in a hostel for ten bucks a night! After dumping our bags we headed off to find breakfast and explore.

Most of the day was spent on the beach here, playing bat and ball and chilling in the sun. Its at night that the town really comes alive...we had heard a lot about the place and were looking forward to checking it out! We hit cocktail alley that evening, a road lined with shacks which will whip up any cocktail you fancy! Then it was on to some of the clubs to check out the local music and dance the night away!

Unsurprisingly we weren't up particularly early the next day! We made it to the beach around midday, just in time for all the food guys who go up and down the beach at lunch offering anything from sandwiches, burgers, empanadas and ceviche! So we didn't have to look too hard for our lunch! That afternoon we decided to hire surfboards and put into practise what we had learnt in Mancora....unfortunately things didn't go quite to plan. The waves in the afternoon became pretty strong and a particularly engulfed Lynne knocking her off the board while paddling out, the board then came up and smacked her on the face before the current dragged her under! When she came back up she had a broken and bleeding nose and a severe loss of pride!! Once the bleeding had sopped she was left with a swollen nose...not a great look! Needless to say we didn't do too much that night, just heading to a local restaurant for some cheap Ecuadorian food.

The next day we were heading back inland to Cuenca, although we managed a morning at the beach before we left. After buying some empanadas for the road, we were back on another bus to Guayaquil, where we would change to reach Cuenca.

Peru - Lima

Arriving in Lima we headed straight for our hostal – The Inka Lodge Hostal – in Miraflores. Miraflores is the “nice part” of Lima and the safest for tourists to stay. Having heard nice things about this area we were a little disappointed! It is a fairly lively place in the evening but we both found it fairly bland and uninteresting. The area is littered with western eateries and cafes, which is always a shame to see but at least it allowed us to satisfy our appetites at Papa John's Pizza after a month of eating chicken and rice in Pisco!

The hostal was really nice and so we decided to spend a couple of days there to relax and get some admin done (significantly a huge laundry session to try and remove the last of the dust and concrete from Pisco!).

With use of a kitchen, we didn't eat out again but did head to the Cinema to watch Ironman 2 (in English!). The cinema is located in a shopping/entertainment centre built into the cliffs by the sea, and was probably the most impressive part of the city which we saw. The coast does have beaches and a walkway but with the very overcast skies (or smog?!?) we didn't make use of it. Although we enjoyed watching the numerous paragliders in the skies above.

So there we have it, we saw hardly anything of this city which may have been a shame but with little glowing reviews from other travellers we were more than happy to head up the coast to Mancora to revive our tans and enjoy some surfing!

Peru - Mancora

We were dropped off early morning from our night bus in Mancora and immediately loved the change of scenery. The place is basically one main street, off which there are tons of local eateries, hostals and market stalls. A short tut-tut ride (on a tarmac road, very different to the painful tut-tut journeys in Pisco on pot hole ridden dirt tracks) took us to Loki del Mar, our hostal for 5 days. Loki is a chain of hostals in Bolivia and Peru based in the cities mainly, with this being their newest venture on the coast; they are party hostals and although a little pricey they are really well maintained and a fun place to stay...and this one had a pool! Having to wait for our room to be ready we spent the first morning checking out the town to find what tasty street food options there were...not many! Checking into our room we were very happy to find we had a nice balcony overlooking the pool and beach. We then headed to the beach for the afternoon and enjoyed the rays!

There wasn't a lot to do here except sun bathe, surf, kite surf, drink, eat....and that's about it, so we happily spent our days sun bathing and taking on the waves before enjoying a few beers in the evening whilst we watched the beautiful sun set from the beach. We must admit though, that although we were staying at the crazy party hostal we didn't exactly join the majority of gringos and party through till the morning every night...strangely we both felt so tired that we were able to drift off at a sensible hour and sleep through the loud music and cheers that died off usually about 4am each day! (Maybe it's our age...everyone there seemed to be gap year students!)
The beach was great, nice fine sand, sandy sea beds and warm water! The surfing whilst we were there however, was difficult. The waves were strong and messy and there were lots of other surfers in the water to avoid hitting or being hit by! However, Lynne took a couple of lessons and with the help of the instructor soon became the Queen of the waves, riding many waves comfortably stood up and showing all those other beginners how to do it!! (Admittedly also showing David, who was cocky enough to think he was a decent surfer but who figured he must have done something to offend the sea because he took a battering!).

We also got back into the running making use of the long beach. We usually went an hour or so before sunset and enjoyed the tranquility of the far stretches of the beach all to ourselves. For lunch / dinner we often tucked into one of the many fresh fish meals available including Ceviche, the local coastal cuisine in Peru that consists of citrus-marinated raw seafood served with onions, chile, sweet potatoe, salad and corn.

Soon enough it was time to leave and having enjoyed our time on the coast we decided that our first stop in Ecuador would be on the coast and took the overnight bus to Montanita!

Huacachina

For two of our weekends while at PSF we headed to nearby Huacachina. This is a little town situated in the desert by Ica. The main attraction are the land sand dunes where you can take sand buggies and go sand boarding. The first weekend there were 15 of us from PSF in this small town! We headed off straight after work on Saturday afternoon, checked into our hostel (with pool!) and then piled into the sand buggies for two hours of sand fun!! The sand buggies were great fun, the drivers took us on a roller coaster of a ride around the dunes, with plenty of jumps and jolts! Then it was boarding time...for the first three 'practise' runs we all attempted to sand board upright (as you would snowboard), however we soon realised that it was faster and a more thrilling experience to go down the slope on your stomach headfirst!! Of course, there were a few wipeouts at the bottom of the slopes with (you guessed it) David taking the biggest tumble and ending up covered in sand and dust but luckily only a few bruises! It was a lot of fun and the ride back in the buggy as the sunset was even better!!

After the boarding it was back to our hostel for a long-awaited hot shower (the showers in Pisco were cold!) and a ice-cold beer at the poolside bar! We then danced the night away at the hostel's bar until the early hours!

The next morning we were all feeling a bit delicate, so it was off to a local cafe (run by a English lady!) for a full english breakfast, or as close to it as you can get in Peru! This was followed by much poolside lounging and silly games in the pool before we packed up back to Pisco.

The next weekend followed a similar routine, although we didn't sandboard this time. There were even more PSF volunteers there this time and so we pretty much took over the hostel. That evening we headed back to the cafe for some more British style food and some cocktails, before once again taking over the dance floor at the hostel!