A Plethora of Waterfalls

Written by Kyle about Ecuador. Feelin' excited

I'm not exactly sure what it is about waterfalls that is so neat. It's basically like a large faucet, right? I mean go to your faucet, turn it on, and watch the water come out. That is a waterfall. If you want to see a bigger one, head to your shower. Yet, still, whenever we are near a waterfall, Bessie and I just have to go see it. Protest? Boring. Indigenous Market? Seen it. Volcano? Yawn. Waterfall? Hell ya!

And what luck we were in when we found out that Baños, Ecuador has a road that passes buy tonnes of them called the "Waterfall Route". And even better yet, we could go down said route on a bike. Sweet. We're in.

The route itself is scenic going all the way from the surroundings of the Andes to the tropics of the jungle and even surprisingly safe. I thought that we would have to choose between A) hitting an oncoming truck or B) riding off into a canyon, but people on the road drove surprisingly sane and considerate. Even the crazy ones gave us their distance and honked before passing as if to say "If you move left, you will be gum on my tire."

The only two mildy scary parts were a tunnel that we had to briefly ride through and a "cable car" that we decided to use to cross the canyon. The tunnel didn't seem that bad at first, but then I realized that I couldn't see the ground which meant that if there happened to be a pothole or stick, I would be making out with the pavement in no time.

The "cable car" was something else. It's kind of like a carnival ride over a large canyon. The motor powering this engineering feat was an old elevator engine that they somehow rigged up to get this thing running. It belched black smoke and the operator had the concern and excitement of a snail. Liability? Whatever. Get in.

Other than that, it was a particularly relaxing and enjoyable ride due to the abundance of downhill action. I lost count of how many waterfalls we passed, but here's a sampling of some:

« Walk on a Lady's nose: the Mundango Trail in Vilcabamba, Ecuador

Hiking in the Andes Mountains: the Quilotoa Laguna, Ecuador »

December 12, 2008 selena: kyle, either u have the mind of a child or andrew is just really wise beyond his years because every time i turn on the faucet or shower he yells "waterfaaalllllll!!!!!!" ;D

December 17, 2008 Bessie: haa haaa...... I'm going with mind of a child, in a good way, of course.

December 12, 2008 Den & Sue Czurylo: We too love waterfalls and these are really spectacular. PS it is about 25 degrees here!

December 15, 2008 Barbara Scott: Your in one of my favorite towns! I always made a side trip to Banos whenever I was in Ecuador, also one of my favorite countries! I don't remember this road though, is it the same road that goes to Puyo? If so, it has certainly added more waterfalls than I remember!

December 17, 2008 Bessie: Barbara Scott!! This is the road to Puyo! The waterfalls were pretty enticing. Have you had the taffy in Baños? It was terrible! ;) I went for a great massage at a place called Shudo though, just a block down from Casa Hood, which is wonderful!

December 15, 2008 Linda: Volcano...."yawn"! Shocking! That's quite a change from when I asked you if you weren't nearly "volcanoed out",one looking pretty much like the last. Your answer was "Nope." What has happened to your volcano lust?? :) Loved the waterfalls and I agree....show me the waterfalls, anywhere, anytime. Now if you could combine an indigenous market protest spewing from a volcano and tumbling over a waterfall.......tourist attraction! (Tee-hee)

December 19, 2008 Julian: As somebody who was born in Niagara Falls, NY, this has to be one of my favorite posts

December 20, 2008 mumsie: Hey,man-on-two-wheels!! I HEAR what you're sayin' about Waterfalls :-D It's the SOUND of 'em that I'm into! Hypnotic.......And it's a delightful relief to SEE that your terrific humor is Still part of your Writing. Neat pics! And you're braver that I am to go through THAT tunnel! LOL