Maybe you guessed Baños from the title and you would be right. I have written about Baños a couple times as it is an absolutely gorgeous place, relatively close to Quito, and has a ton of fun, outdoor activities to do in the majestic green mountains.
I love going to Baños, and I also wanted to share this beautiful place with my girls, my crazy, sometimes frustrating, but overall amazing high school students. So on April 18th and April 25th, I took two different group of girls for (a very long) day trip to experience a taste of Baños. What amazing, adventurous, and genuinely fun days!
April 18th at 6am (well I guess 5:15am my alarm went off) the first paseo (trip) to Baños began with Ximena, Tania, Katty, Gladys, and Mariana - my costura (sewing) ladies! Before the sun was even peeping out, I walked over to the Ofelia bus station and met my girls down in La Marin (the downtown center). When I got down there at 6:55am, 4 of the 5 girls were already there waiting....very UN Ecuadorian, but I guess they are getting the hang of us Americans ;) We met the last girl at her house and then headed down to Quitumbre, the bus station to get to Baños. Without problems we got on the bus and all my girls packed into the back 4 seats, sharing seats and just giggling away. So cute! They bought ice cream at 9am (and even one for me!) and just enjoyed singing along to my iPod. We finally arrived in Baños, in 3 hours exactly, and the first thing we do is run to the baños (bathrooms)! Of course my teenage girls thought this was SO hilarious, but hey anything to make them smile and laugh means my goals are being accomplished.
With the sun shining and breathing in the fresh air, we walked around town a bit, took some pictures and ate the picnic lunch I brought. The girls were beyond grateful and respectful...they didn't ask for anythin
g and everything I offered to buy them they wanted to share! So we just ate the turkey and tuna fish sandwiches and everyone shared a liter sprite bottle, but we were all full and with energy for canyoning. Going to a tour agency for this 'extreme sport' was such an exciting experience for them, and I could tell they were nervous because as soon as we entered the agency they were silent and super shy. They got on their wetsuits (of course embarrassed to come out) and we headed out to the waterfall. All the girls were such troopers and extremely encouraging of their classmates. One of the highlights for me was hearing my shyest girl, Gladys Chaluisa, scream and laugh as she slid down the biggest waterfall! I've barely seen this girl smile much less ever heard her scream for joy. What a great moment!
Our tour ended up taking longer than expected, as we got to go to the bigger, more intense waterfall, so we changed quickly, ate a sandwich and headed on the last bus back to Quito. Getting back to Quito at night is a little 'adventuresome,' but praise God for keeping us safe, for these beautiful, caring girls, and for parents who were flexible and supporti
ve!
April 25th - doing the same, but of course VERY different! I met again at the crack of dawn downtown with Blanca, Martha, and Gladys. We got on the bus, again had delicious ice cream at 8:30am, but unfortunately this time it was rainy and cloudy the entire bus ride. Oh no, what were we going to do in Baños before we would go to the waterfalls? Well, when we arrived, we went to the bathrooms first again, and then had a little team meeting to discuss what we could do in the rain. GRACIAS A DIOS! (Praise God) Honestly as we were discussing going out to lunch or something, the sun started peeking out a bit and it stopped raining! And the entire rest of the day, the sun was out (albeit a little cloudy) and it didn't rain one more drop! What a blessing.
These three are all 15 so a little less mature, but still so sweet and had so much fun running around and laughing. We had a picnic lunch again before beginning our canyoning trip. So I'm sure I've written about how Ec
uadorians in general are smaller people, but Blanca, Martha, and Gladys are especially tiny! The guide had to search for children’s wetsuits as XS were too big for them! We then headed out to the Chamana waterfall, which is smaller and less intense with more open air. It was perfect! I enjoyed it a lot and was happy to do this one that took less time and also got to feel the warmth of the sun a bit! (Rio Blanco is sooo cold) Edison, our guide for the past 3 weeks, was so nice and helpful and it's great to see someone who truly just loves his job. A million pictures, a sandwich, and some sugar cane taffy for the road later, another successful day in Baños was complete. It was still after dark when we arrived back to Quito, but it was a much calmer ride home in which everyone got to their homes with their parents!
My Sundays in April were wonderful days with my girls, and I was so proud of them and the way they acted! I feel my goals were accomplished: they felt important, had great time to bond with their girlfriends, and they each got to experience something beyond their imaginations! I would do it all again in a heartbeat…..which is good because I've got one final trip left this Sunday. I am going to Mindo this time though and we are going to do the canopy (ziplines). The girls are excited, but of course nervous as well! I can't wait! Pray for safety, sun, and more ‘good girl bonding’ time!
Also please pray for Mom and Dad who are traveling Egypt and Israel right now, may they also be having a trip of a lifetime!
Love you all! Keep smiling and laughing!
Taylor
