Week 31, Ecuador and Peru: Rain, Rafting, and moving closer to home

Wait...did you think I was done? No way...I was still out there in the southern hemisphere for another couple weeks.
The experiences
After  checking out of a very posh hotel in Quito, I made my way to the bus station once again to go a few hours south to a little place called Banos. I'd been warned in advance that there wasn't much to see here but there was much to do. This happened to be a good place to be adventurous. Very touristy for its size but I'd go again.

My first day I was still recovering from my cold so I stayed in and didn't do much but go out for dinner. I couldn't believe my luck finding this amazing Italian place with pizza good and spicy. I would end up going there a few more times in the handful of days I was in Banos.

Adorable and delicious

This was the first time I was in a hostel or hotel that had Netflix speed internet for almost the duration of my trip so of course I spent day two watching some movies and then planning which activities to do. Already you can tell that I'm missing consistency with my pizza/beer and netflix lazy day. I even bought a blanket in Quito so that I would have the same blanket on my bed each night no matter the city.

The lovely Shira told me that rafting was the best way to see the jungle. I have never been rafting but there is rarely a better time than the present. So in one day I signed up to go rafting and zip lining (also new to me). The great thing is that even in the rain I was able to go out and do things. I'm sure that flying/drifting through the valleys of the forest would have been more beautiful on a sunny day, but I also like the cloudy, grayish, rainy/snowy days--I'm a child of the Midwest and what we jokingly call 9 months of winter. We don't usually call things off for weather at home but I've gotten used to places where rain, let alone snow, is grounds for shutting everything down. I didn't bring a camera to either of these activities because I didn't want to damage anything in my last few weeks on the trip but luckily the company for rafting did have the guys in safety kayaks taking photos.

Team practice before entering the river

In action

I think our leader intentionally steered us into tricky situations

Rafting was an adventure. I learned to respond to commands in Spanish, shut my mouth quickly to avoid swallowing river water, and we didn't lose anyone along the way. Zip lining was so much fun and relaxing. I was there with a Michigander and an Ecuadorian lawyer. They became friends during one of those lovely/epic flight delay scenarios and stayed in touch. It was a nice peaceful hike through the forest and six runs. We even went a couple times "superman style," which I renamed "wonder woman style." Thanks to the guy from Michigan who agreed with me. Unlike my New Zealand bungee jump, I WILL be going zip lining again. Though there was sufficiently less adrenaline than a bungee jump that meant less of a chemical fog while enjoying the beautiful scenery as you glide through the forest.

The next morning I was set to try canyoning, but as I was the only person signed up and it was raining again, I opted not to try something I've never done alone. Instead I wandered around the city for a few hours and visited the beautiful church and park while watching the stray dogs run around the streets.

The last day I was in town I was supposed to go horseback riding with one of the Canadian ladies staying in the same dorm room with me. Upon further calculation though, I was cutting it close with the bus back to Quito to catch my flight to Peru.  So we had to cancel and I relaxed at the hostel that morning, my mind sufficiently blown after having finished the Harry Potter books (I had never read them, but started the series in India...I was determined to finish).

I was working my way slowly toward home, at this point less than two weeks away. I enjoyed some creamy pasta, wine and a brownie sundae at the Outback Steakhouse in the Quito Airport. When I arrived in Lima I stayed in the Wyndham airport hotel. I'd never stayed at an airport hotel, having some strange aversion to them probably based on someone else's opinion. I found it to be a nice, quiet place to rest up and watch TV before my flight the next day. Though they are plentiful, there's no flight into or out of Cusco after 6pm which meant a lot of disjointed travel days this week and in the future for me. 

When I finally arrived in the city of Cusco (jumping off point for the Machu Picchu journey), I was set to stay in the luxurious Marriott, which was once a convent, for over a week before making the rest of the journey to my final wonder of the world. I actually didn't leave the room for two days, catching up on sleep, TV, and the wonder that is Mac & Cheese (though definitely sub-par and ordered from the room service kids menu, it was my first in seven months).

The lessons

• Triple check what you need for an activity before leaving. Going rafting without a towel or fresh clothes is not fun. 
• Don't buy a sweater/sweatshirt just because your things are wet. Eventually things dry and you won't have room for the new item in your pack.
• I don't regret my decision to do this though I wouldn't do it again. I bought an enormous scratchy wool turtleneck sweater that made me feel toasty for at least one night. And if you missed it earlier, my primary concern at this stage of the trip was making me comfortable (down to the comfort food).

Interesting

• My rafting group was entirely Spanish speaking except me (I got the safety briefing from another group at the same launch point) and the Zip lining guys didn't speak any English (luckily I was there with an Ecuadorian who spoke beautiful English)
• I had some great conversations about what is difficult about long trips with Marilyn and Keely from Canada in the dorm room. I never thought to ask these questions before I left. I'll include info on what I missed most or found most difficult in the "Facts" page later.
• My suspicions about the leader of the rafting expedition intentionally leading us into difficult spots was confirmed when the Canadians went the next day and he actually tricked one of them into falling in. Normally this would be dubious but it was seriously fun. Except she swallowed a lot of water, so I hope she didn't get sick after we parted ways...they were just starting out on their South American journey.

I don't know why, but this sign showing Chicago just shy of 5,000km away was a huge comfort