Agua Santa
3 October 2005 (Monday) – Baños, Ecuador
Oh no… time to say goodbye to Ismael and Patricia. How horrid!! I had breakfast with them, and when they were heading back to Quito, I joined them on the bus as well, as I suddenly felt like taking a look at Ambato, a town 1 hour from Baños, enroute to Quito. So, when I truly had to say ‘goodbye’ to them, it was a rush job as I had to hug and kiss and scramble down the bus quickly. Bye and thanks for everything!!! Gosh, they had been absolutely amazing, especially Ismael with his megawatt smile and his tireless energy, optimism and enthusiasm.
![Road to Ambato [by IE]](http://blogs.bootsnall.com/trisha/files/2008/01/Banos_road.jpg)
Ismael had told me that there is a cemetery in Ambato with trees that are finely and artistically shaped like animals or humans in various poses. I asked several people, including the Tourist Office, and they were not able to help me. I ended up just wandering around the city centre for a few hours before heading back to Baños.
![Town of Baños [by IE]](http://blogs.bootsnall.com/trisha/files/2008/01/Banos_town1.jpg)
![Another view of the surrounding canyon [by IE]](http://blogs.bootsnall.com/trisha/files/2008/01/Banos_town.jpg)
Well, I had been having a problem with my stomach. Hmm… how do I put it in a non-disgusting way?? I guess, I can’t, so here goes. Since Quito, I had been having a problem with, er… flatulence. Actually, the problem could have started as far back as Bogotá, but I was more aware of it since Quito due to its increased frequency. At first, I thought it was my lactose-intolerant problem. But I had not been drinking milk and yoghurt since forever and still I had the problem. I finally plucked up the courage to consult Ismael and Patricia, my two doctor-friends, last night. They laughed, my stomach worms were working overtime, it seemed. They got me to buy some medications at the pharmacy last night. Apparently, it was very common here in Ecuador. They were supposed to take the medications once every 6 months, but they are immuned to it, so it does not bother them too much. Argh, my stomach worms indeed!
I took my medications this morning, and there were some light rumbling activities. I crawled back to my hotel room to rest the rest of the afternoon.
By evening, I felt marginally better and headed to the Piscina de Agua Santa. The region here in Baños is a volcanic region. Well, I guess, that can be said of many regions in Ecuador. The nearby Volcano Tungurahua was on the verge of eruption as recently as 1999. I had actually watched a documentary about it where Baños’ residents were evacuated from here for a month or more, and when nothing happened, the angry residents insisted on returning home. In the end, the authorities could not persuade them to evacuate again and so, they devised a route of evacuation to get out of harm’s way, when the volcano alarm sounds in the event of an actual eruption. They had a few practice-runs then, and could only hope that on the day of eventual eruption, all the residents could run off and hide in time. Yep, just let the tourists die… heh.
The Piscina de Agua Santa is a place with several thermal pools of mineral water of various temperature. The water is not clear at all, turqoise or light-brownish colours. Well, I consoled myself these odd and disgusting-looking colours must be from the mineral contents. The first pool I tried was TOO HOT! At 42C, there was no way to enter it. The other pool at the top was just nice at 38C. I could even see the town’s nearest waterfall splashing down eternally to my right. I stayed there for about 2 hours, sometimes meditating and sometimes watching the Ecuadorean couples and families nearby. Heavenly…
[photo credits IE – Ismael Escandon]
Tags: 07) Crossing Ecuador Line, Baños
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