Amazonass @ Banos

The famous Banos thermal spa is just two hours away by bus on the eastern side of the main Andean ridge at 1,800 metres. We approach the Amazon: green rainforest, bamboo and sugar cane conjure up a completely different world. Crowds of tourists clog up the only road there, and the hustle and bustle in the centre is a welcome change from what Andreas Altmann often called travelling in a lonely continent.

Here on the Amazon side of the Andes, the wind chops down the valley at up to 30 knots over packed thermal pools. Even Nick Jacobsen would probably find them too full for his kite fun. We opt for an empty thermal pool a little further away and relax in the warm volcanic water while the wind carries my towel away.

Then we head further down towards the Amazon to Rio Verde at 1,500 metres above sea level. The walls to the Rio Pastaza, up to 300 metres below, drop almost vertically. Every few hundred metres, a busy zipline stretches across the wide gorge to the opposite side. The fields there stand on slopes inclined at over 70 degrees.

From Rio Verde, we hike another 200 metres down through pleasantly cool rainforest to the mighty “Pailon del Diablo” waterfalls. The picture in Banos looked great, the people coming towards us soaking wet even better. Partly crawling on all fours in low rock corridors, we work our way up the narrow gorge for another hundred metres until we are standing on the top platform directly under the waterfall. My shirt and camera have long been in my waterproof rucksack. My trousers are waterproof. At least on the outside. But against the at least ten bathtubs per second directly into the waistband of my trousers, that’s refreshingly little: Amazonass @ Banos.

We just manage to catch the last bus back to Riobamba after dark. Once again, an ingenious light has spread Christmas trees over the mountains. This time you can even see individual branches. They sparkle in the dark night. We part ways. I continue south, Quiteña Lama heads back north. Thank you for the lovely journey, Quiteña Lama!