A girl melts the wax at the bottom of a candle so she can stand it up at Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa (Our Lady of Holy Water) in Baños. The church is dedicated to the Virgin of Holy Water, who is said to have performed numerous miracles. (Richard McGuire Photo)
Written: Baños, Ecuador
I’ve spent the past couple nights in Baños, a town that attracts both Ecuadorian and foreign tourists. Baños, whose name means “baths”, lies just below the active volcano Tungurahua, which at various times over the centuries has erupted and threatened the local inhabitants. Only a few years back, the volcano blew its top, forcing the evacuation of the community.
The volcanic activity has produced hot springs, which provide hot baths for locals and visitors.
Baños lies at a comfortable 1800 metres (5,000 feet) which gives it a pleasant climate, rich with flowering trees and other plants. Currently though, it’s the rainy season, which has meant the town has been shrouded in clouds, and there are periodic rainfalls.
It’s also a centre of Catholic pilgrimage, as people come to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Waters. There, the virgin, has been responsible for forestalling many disasters, including volcanic eruptions.
Today was one of the nicer days in a while, and I took advantage of it by renting a mountain bike and descending the canyon in the direction of the jungle village of Puyo. It’s downhill most of the way, so there were only a few times when I had to pedal uphill. Most of the time I could glide. Numerous waterfalls marked the route, including the most spectacular Pailon del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron), which involved a hike down from the main road through increasingly jungle-like vegetation.
Tomorrow I head to Tena in the jungle.
The city of Baños, Ecuador, spreads through a valley below Tungurahua Volcano. (Richard McGuire Photo)
A blossoming tree after a rainfall in Baños. (Richard McGuire Photo)Religious paraphernalia was on sale at a stall outside the basilica in Baños, Ecuador. Plastic handguns were available at the stall next door. (Richard McGuire Photo)People bathe in La Virgen thermal baths in Baños. (Richard McGuire Photo)Women play futbol (soccer) in Baños, Ecuador. They were amused when I took some photos of their game. (Richard McGuire Photo)This brilliantly colourful scarlet macaw lived in the gardens at my hotel in Baños. These exotic birds are among the many from the rainforests of Ecuador’s Oriente, the headwaters of the Amazon River. (Richard McGuire Photo)A cable car takes passengers across the gorge next to Agoyan Waterfall down the Rio Pastaza from Baños, Ecuador. (Richard McGuire Photo)A cable car takes passengers across the gorge next to Agoyan Waterfall down the Rio Pastaza from Baños, Ecuador. (Richard McGuire Photo)A tourist jumps off a bridge to bungee dive over a river near Baños, Ecuador. The operators brought their ropes and harnesses to the bridge to do business. (Richard McGuire Photo)The raging waters of the Río Pastaza tumble down the mountains at Pailón del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron) waterfalls on the descent from Baños in the mountains to Puyo in the rainforest. These falls tumble into a raging cauldron before continuing down among huge boulders. (Richard McGuire Photo)The raging waters of the Río Pastaza tumble down the mountains at Pailón del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron) waterfalls on the descent from Baños in the mountains to Puyo in the rainforest. These falls tumble into a raging cauldron before continuing down among huge boulders. (Richard McGuire Photo)The raging waters of the Río Pastaza tumble down the mountains at Pailón del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron) waterfalls on the descent from Baños in the mountains to Puyo in the rainforest. In the rocks below, you can make out images of the devil’s face. These falls tumble into a raging cauldron before continuing down among huge boulders. Note the two figures near the lower right for an idea of scale. (Richard McGuire Photo)
