Ecuador 2022 - Cloudforest, Coast and Craters Tour - Day 5 - Salinas to Banos

Day 5 would be a day full of contrasts. Hot vs Cold. Peace vs Chaos. Dry vs Wet.  It's truly amazing how so many experiences can be gained in just one day. Incredible.  The day started with a definite chill in the air at the hotel sitting at over 12,000 ft in elevation.  Our host, bless her heart, didn't speak a word of English but my rudimentary Spanish seemed to get us by.  I felt sort of guilty that she had to fire up her kitchen to serve us a wonderful breakfast since we were the only guests in the hotel that night.  Always smiling, she scurried around to make sure we had everything that we needed.

Chocolate Factory at end of street

After breakfast we returned to the room to pack up.  While Karen was wrapping things up, I wondered down the hill to the chocolate factory.  Oh the smell!  Karen joined me and we were given a brief tour but the language barrier proved to be too much so we cut it short.  After purchasing a stash of treats, we headed back up the hill to the hotel.  Remembering that we needed water, I continued up to the little corner store and grabbed two bottles.  I gave the owner a $5 bill and she gave me back four Susan B. Anthony dollar coins in change.  I haven't seen a Susan B in a decade!  Interesting.

Our pre-ride briefing included guidance that today would involve a lot of altitude and temperature changes.  We were told to dress in layers so that we could add or subtract as needed.  The temperatures were not too bad (low 50s) as we prepared to leave so we dressed accordingly but had extra layers available in the luggage cases.

After climbing back up to the main highway, we turned south for about 15 miles and descended serval thousand feet in elevation until the GPS had us turn back to the northwest on the road to Ambato.  We were climbing again and gaining altitude very quickly.  After about 10 miles we popped above the tree line at about 13,500 ft.  It was getting downright cold at this point so we pulled over to add layers.

Up ahead lie the Chimborazo Volcano, the highest point on Earth.  Really. It's true.  Due to the Equatorial Bulge (the Earth is not a perfect sphere), Chimborazo is actually 3,000 ft higher than Everest when measured from the center of the Earth rather than sea level.  This is the closest spot on the Earth to the Sun.  In the picture below we are standing right at 14,000 ft and it was 34 degrees. Brrr!!!  Sadly we could not get the money shot of the summit due to the persistent overcast that day.

Highest elevation and coldest day of the trip

While we were stopped we were able to get up close to a few of Ecuador's vicuna population. The Vicuna is a smaller and faster relative to the more familiar llama.  

   
We had the option to turn up a road to climb up to about the 16,000 ft level but we were not sure if the weather was going to hold so we passed on the opportunity and continued on our way down the mountain.  

Riobamba would the last large city that we would have to traverse on this trip until arriving back at Quito. As we approached the city, the temperature again would rise to the point that it was uncomfortable but we really didn't have the opportunity to de-layer in all the chaos.  The tour operator had intended us to have lunch at a downtown restaurant but in the ensuing chaos I rode right past it and had a strong desire to just get out of town.  If I were to do a similar trip, I would find a route around the city center.  It was just too stressful.  Heading north from downtown we reached the area of an open air market which also happened to be the primary bus station.  People and buses everywhere!!  If I hadn't been so stressed, I would have liked to have stopped at the market and just walked around a bit.  Finally, on the north side of town we pulled in to a gas station for fuel and a much needed potty break (free bathrooms!!).  We were both drenched in the high temperatures of the city and spent a half hour off the bike just calming down before setting off again.

We were only about 45 miles from our destination in Banos when we left the limits for Riobamba following an amazing route, A490, up through a magnificent valley of the Rio Chambo and the Rio Pastaza.  This was such a relief from the chaos in Riobamba.  The road fluctuated between the low river level up to the highest cliff faces of the valley.  We had a constant view of the massive active Tungurahua Volcano which would be near our destination tonight.  We passed areas where volcanic ash had been swept to the side of the road.  Eerie for sure.

The tour operator had us avoid the major highway which would have taken us straight to Banos by having us cross the river and arrive via a backroad.  Here we experienced the first of several rock slide areas where a makeshift bypass was built around the slide.  Not for the faint of heart for sure especially riding 2-up. 

We finally arrived at our hotel for the night about 3:15 in the afternoon.  We were both worn out from the day. The Hotel La Posada del Arte is a sight to behold.  Funky. Crafty. And incredibly inviting are inadequate words to describe it. Our hosts opened the gates so that we could pull the bike in off the street and helped us unload into our comfortable room for the night.  We requested a fan for the room and one was promptly delivered.

View from the Hotel La Posada del Arte Courtyard

After a refreshing shower, we walked down the street in search of a meal since we skipped lunch in Riobamba.  Less than a block away we found an Italian place, Carpe Diem, that was open at that time.  We were the only ones in the restaurant as it was quite early for dinner but we were hungry!  Like everywhere else that we ate on this trip, the food was incredible.  We started with a magnificent charcuterie board and Karen ordered a seafood risotto that was to die for.  I didn't capture what I had and by now I can't remember what it was but I do remember that it was excellent.  To settle our nerves we also pitched for dessert.  Awesome.

After this experience we waddled our way back to the hotel and changed into our swimming gear as just up the street were some volcanic hot springs.  The hotel graciously provided us with the required skull caps and gave us some tips on how to secure our clothes.  We head out to make the short walk to the springs, paid the paltry $2 entrance fee, secured our clothes and proceeded to soak the day's stress away.  There are several pools at the site and each are at a different temperature.  There's a small super-hot pool that you start in and only stay for just a few minutes, then you migrate to the "main" pool where the temperature is just a tad bit lower and is tolerable for longer periods of time.  It felt sooooo good to just soak.  Watching others we determined that it is customary to get out after about 15-20 minutes and step into a cold water shower area.  Cold is an understatement.  The water must have come from the snow covered mountain nearby as it was numbingly cold but refreshing.  Then it was a quick return to the hot soaking pool.

A Virginia Loveworks in Ecuador

We spent about 90 minutes at the hot springs and decided to call it a night.  The walk back to the hotel was on jelly legs and I literally collapsed into bed.

On several of the other tours offered by Freedom Bike Rental, the town of Banos is set aside as a "rest day" where you spend 2 nights and use the day to explore the adventure activities that abound in the area.  If we visit again I hope to set aside Banos as a rest day.  There's so much to do.