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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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After Alausi we arrived in Banos, a town famous for its hot springs. It also serves as a gateway to the Ecuadorean Amazone.
We found a new hostal for USD 12 per room and spent two days walking around and witnessing landslides! It rained for two days when we were there and apparently it had been raining for much longer as traffic was struggling to get in and out of Banos. They also closed the hot springs for whatever reason, so there was little to do out there. Normally people ride horses, rent quad bikes or raft the Pastaza river, but due to the weather all this was impossible. A good excuse to do nothing (we are getting used to it ..), drink coffees and eat cakes.
Just as we were ready to take a bus up north to Otavalo, the main road collapsed and we were told that the only way out was via an enormous detour, which would take at least 10 hours and would cost us double the amount.
So we waited at the bus station for something to happen (we are getting used to people bending the truth and trying to rip you off by selling you 'alternative' bus routes, so we hoped that they would fix the road later that day and we could leave the normal way). After speakig to a police officer, people at the tourist office and on the street, it seemed that the road had indeed been destroyed completely and there was no way a car or bus could go through anytime soon.
In the end we ended up walking the collapsed bit of the road with our backpacks on and got on a pick up truck on the other side. The road had vanished and you could see chunks of tarmac down below in the river!
The truck dropped us off in the nearest village, from where we took a bus up to Ambato. In Ambato we took a bus up to Quito and from there we took another bus to Otavalo, 2 hrs north of Quito. It had been quite a day, 2 pick up trucks and three buses later we got to Otavalo around 8pm!
PS Banos is northeast of Alausi, althought he map on the website indicates differently..
previous travel blog entry
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