Laguna Cuybeno

The last thing I decided to do in Ecuadorian countryside is to get a taste of the jungle. You can do it from Banos, but the tours are into a "secondary" jungle, meaning that the trees there are not original and could have been cut and shorted by people. One can take a tour of a primary jungle in the East of the country in the Cuyabeno or Yasuni reserves. These are governamental reserves so that nobody has the right to cut or temper with the jungle trees, hence the name "primary". I decided to do the 1st one because it was a bit closer. To do that you have to take a bus to Lago Agrio, a small city located 2h away from the Cuyabeno reserve. I took the night bus from Banos and at 5am was in Lago Agrio.

Ecuadorians really love their buses so they pimp them out as much as they can :)

Long story short, we got to the entrance to the reserve at noon. A long boat in truly amazonian style was waiting for us to take us to the entrance to the reserve and we started a long, wavy ride to the cabins situated in the jungle. About 30min into the ride it started to rain...but rain heavily...the jungle was greeting us.

Of course in the jungle you meet monkeys...many monkeys :) they're small and super cute.

The next morning we took a walk in the jungle. It's just as you see in movies, with trees so tall that the sunlight never reaches the ground keeping it always moist and home for thousands of species of insects,  frogs, and orchids. I was beforehand prevented to not touch any tree or branch because there could be venomous insects and snakes that attack the nervous system, sending you into shock.

Me enjoying my Tarzan time swinging on a liana.

Rowing back toward the base camp. Cuyabeno reserve is essentially the jungle surrounding one huge laguna. Depending on the season the laguna gets larger or smaller due to the rainfall.

In the evening it's a marvelous sight, with the calm waters reflecting the magnificent surrounding jungle of the laguna.

There I observed one of the most gorgeous sunsets I've ever seen. It was a magical moment...

And of course my trusty guide Jesus, also enjoying the magnificent sunset to its fullest... this is his happy face :)

As the sun got lower, the colors intensified...

This is the Chorr monkey. Apparently this is one of the few types of monkeys that are capable of grabbing onto branches with their tail, which is, contrary to popular belief, not something every monkey can do.

The next day we went to to the Laguna of Maximum Security, so great in fact that no power boats are allowed there, so you have to be oaring...

There we fished pirahnas... These things have some sort of latch mechanism in their jaw I think because they slam shut biting off anything inside.

Rowing back was an adventure by itself with low hanging lianas and branches touching the muddy water of the river. However we had to row back for about 1.5h, probably the most rowing I've done so far.

On the way back to civilization after living for 4 days in the jungle. I loved how the kid with a serious face and attitude was just sleeping in the back of the boat, while his father skillfully manned the motor.

The ride back was very sunny which was unexpected because my entire stay in the jungle was predominated by heavy rain.

Before leaving Lago Agrio I witnessed what I could only call Ultra 2013 Ecuador style :))) (google ultra 2013 photos :)

Equador, Banos

Banos, Ecuador - a tiny small city housed between  a mountain ridge and an active volcano Tungurahua  THe place is lovely, you can really find everything you want here. It has everything the adventurous soul wants, rafting, bungee jumping, motorcycling, buggying, canyoning, paragliding... you name it, i'm sure banos has it. At the same time it's quiet enough that you can spend a few days simply relaxing in one of its hostels, enjoy the surrounding mountains and simply chill. But of course i am the adventurous type :)

The first day I rented a dirt bike for 3 hours to ride to the surrounding peaks around Banos to get a better view of the vulcano. The bikes go for $10/hour and that's a good price to pay with everything included. There are 2 peaks, one that is on a nice paved road toward  mirador La Cruz (a big cross on top of the mountain that lights up at night) and the other one on a dirt road around the other side of the mountain. Of course I took the harder dirt road (did i mention i was adventerous?) but after a while of bumpy ride you get to steep hills that are paved with cobblestones. But really well rounded cobblestones that get intensely slippery after rain, and of course it started to rain :) In short, I decided to turn back before reaching the peak of the mountain due to the rain and for the next 30 min was carefully riding in low gear on these slippery stones. Then i decided to take the paved road to mirador La Cruz, what a great decision it was. The ride was amazing, curving road with almost no cars at all with ridiculously gorgeous scenery. So for all of you out there wanting to rent a bike in banos I highly suggest the La Cruz road over the other one.

One you reach La Cruz you can continue further up on a dirt road through the village Luna Runtun (a very nice farming village) toward something called Casa de Arbol.

And here it is...Casa de Arbol. It's a small house built in a tree on top of the mountain, with a vulcaon view in the distance. it was meant to be a hotel I believe but something went awefully wrong and now it's just a deserted place with a swing and some visitors now and then.

The view you get from the casa del arbol.

Me again with my trusty iron horse. I think i really like 2 strokes now, of course they're dirty and not green and so rough, but the power curve is just so sweet.

I got lost on the way toward the mirador and passed through some awesome tunnels, this one is literraly a hole dug out in the mountain.

The ride back from the mountain was just like in a fairly tale. the sun came out, it was very warm, a nice breeze, the road was dry and sticky and I was super pleased I didn't acquire any road rash in my riding experience (I always get into some sort of small trouble).

That same day I climbed toward the statue of La Virgen close to the village. THis is the evening view of Banos you get from there...

Of course volcano Tungurahua revolting in the distance.

The volcano at night. I'm really proud of this shot, with long exposure and such :))

Next day I decided to simply hike around the mountain a bit, in particular I went from the mirador La Virgen to La Cruz. This involves hiking on the side of the mountain that surrounds Banos. I highly suggest it, it's gorgeous and best of all - free.

Admiring the city...

A new found friend I found on the way down :) This guy loved me...

Next day I decided to go white water rafting in Banos. This is the road toward the river...

Some basic instruction before the flight. I was actually really impressed with their level of instruction and security, it is just as safe if not safer than us rafting trips. They also had a kayak that was intended to save people and take pics.

Vperedi na lihom kone...

The rapids were mostly class 3 with some random 4.

some hardcore paddling right there :)

The next day I decided to go Canyoning. It's something i've never seen done anywhere but here, it's essentially repelling but down a waterfall. I had to try it at least once a lifetime :) My partner in crime was an English guy Rob, really awesome fellow. There's some sort of invisible connection between travelers that brings us together and opens us up like old friends, brothers...

My first descent along a fairly small waterfall.

The water is really powerful, and rocks extremely slippery knocking you off your feet. you have to keep good posture while going down.

Me and Rob being ridiculous

Having fun with the fruits of the jungle

I guess i'm really enjoying myself :))

This was a 30 m waterfall, or so the guide said.

Slow motion jumping into the water

Final waterfall of 50m. This one you repel down while jumping, it's so steep and slippery.

The force of the water as it hits the ground digs a hole in it that's quite deep. I'm standing in that hole.

Final waterfall, this is a sliding one :)

On the last day in Banos, I decided to rent a bike to go exploring the Ruta de las Cascadas. I met an amazingly interesting traveler dude from Brasil, Sergio. A quintessential traveler, he's been on the road for almost a year, working in hostels as a gardner, a painter whatever they need him to do. Lives life one day at a time, enjoying the "naturalesa" :) It didn't matter that he spoke "Portugnol" we understood each other perfectly. Talking to him you can almost feel how this guy loves life and everything associated with it, which is something to learn for all of us, i think...

On our road we saw a pair zip-lining across the mountain ravine.

See what I mean about Sergio being excited about everything in life :)) Seriously though , this is the waterfall Pailon del Diablo. This place is ridiculous, definitely a must see if you're in the area. it starts pretty mellow but then...

you see more than 200m drop of the waterfall into the jungle.

here it is in its majesty. obviously out of proportion with me.

On the other side of the waterfall there are some stairs for easy viewing... or searching to die :)

Us literally under the waterfall. It's genuinely scary when you get this close to this huge mass of water falling down 200m.

 We continued biking through the rest of the day until heavy jungle rain prompted us to take a bus back toward Banos. That night I left toward Lago Agrio -  the jungle...