The last two pictures from Banos are from our final day when we treated ourselves to a steam bath and massage at our hostel. As you can see the steam baths were like individual sauna boxes which thankfully left your head uncovered as they were very hot and the treatment included alternating between these and dousings with cold water – supposedly very cleansing!!! We then went out for dinner at a cool café where we sat and watched a movie and then had a meal with Lana who was an Australian girl travelling alone who joined us for a few days.
Then on to Otavalo which is north of Quito and renowned for its large open air market. We started our first day early at the animal market where locals trade chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, cattle, sheep and pigs. Every animal rights movement in NZ would have a field day there and it pays not to think too much about your next meal when you see the chickens and pigs trussed and carted away. The picture of Robin next to one of the locals at the market shows how small the people are - he literally towers above them and I (Claire) have never felt so statuesque. There were a number of older people begging at the market who soon discovered that Robin was a soft touch and despite looking very forlorn some managed to miraculously appear on each corner ahead of us to receive another coin. It was refreshing to see the locals and stall owners offering them food and money – we have noted that despite the financial status of the locals, people and pet animals seem well fed and happy. We had a cheap and tasty meal at the night market where the kebabs were fantastic and in fact drew us back for a repeat order the following evening. The market stalls are dismantled every evening and set up again in the morning. The items for sale are packed away in huge sacks which are then carried out on the backs of guys who literally run back and forwards from the storage area. They have a leather strap around their forehead and are bent double under the weight. Robin followed the guy in the picture to test the weight of his load and said he could hardly move it. We visited the Condor Park on our final morning and saw many large birds of prey including Condors, Falcons, Eagles and Owls some of which were brought out by their handlers and allowed to soar above the valley below. We took the local bus back to Quito – the cost was $2 each for a two and a half hour trip!
We are now at Galapagos on the afternoon of our third day. The other passengers (16 in total) include 3 Swiss, 5 Americans, 2 English, 2 Ecuadorians and 10 crew. We are definitely not roughing it!! As anticipated the animal and bird life is spectacular. The islands we have visited have large numbers of blue and red footed boobies, frigates and other birds which we have got exceptionally close to and got amazing photographs. We have also walked past sea lions and iguanas and snorkelled with penguins and sharks. The wildlife seems unfazed by our presence and does not seen threatened in any way.
Photos of the Galpagos will be on the next blog! (No wi-Fi on the boat so we are hoping to access the internet while visiting a Galapagos town this evening).
Yes, got to the internet - it could be another 5 days before we have access again so ......until 'next' week.
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