Week 1: 24-26 May

3-Day Weekend in Baños de Agua Santa
24 May, Friday

So this day, I woke up at 5:30 because Baya and her host father were going to pick me up from my home so that we can go to the bus station Quitumbe (right). When Baya, Hilary, and I arrived, we got the next one-way ticket to Baños. I wanted to sleep on the bus, but I was worried because so many people from Quito have warned me to not leave my belongings lying around because it will get stolen, but Baya was diligently reminding me that it is "so unsafe" here, when in fact, theft is the only big problem since Quito is one of the safest cities in South America compared to places like in Venezuela (many Venezuelan people have immigrated to Ecuador. And although there is theft, it's a sneaky theft, not violent at gun-/knife-point. Anyway, I still slept on the bus, clutching onto my backpacks. When arrived to Baños and walked to our hostel, which was only about a 7-minute walk from the station. We arrived a little early, so we could not check in yet, so we left our stuff at the front desk and grabbed breakfast nearby. After breakfast, we walked around and bought some souvenirs; I bought a jacket made from alpaca fur for myself, a hand-made purse for my niece, and a couple handmade llamas for my friends. We then made our way back to the hostel and waited for the room to be cleaned; we decided that we would relax today, so we took a taxi to one of the many thermal pools in Baños called "Balneario El Salado" (below).

We stayed in the heated pools because it was way too cold to be in the normal pools; it was a cloudy, windy day, so there was no sun to warm us. But it was nice relaxing in a warm pool and getting to know Baya and Hilary better; I learned so much about them and their families. I felt comfortable around them. However, at time I did feel left out because they would constantly speak in French to each other, excluding me from the conversation because I don't speak French and Hilary is a beginner in Spanish. I ignored the feeling of being ignored and tried to focus on the fact that I am enjoying myself in another country! Although these thermal pools weren't as big or special as the imitation Roman baths in Budapest, Hungary (I went in October 2017), it was still relaxing--except when the random children would continue jumping inside the pool and splashing everywhere while their ball would drift towards us, so they would splash to swim toward it. There were many families there since it was a federal Ecuadorian holiday, so it was interesting seeing the family dynamics. My greatest observation: the kids here are just as rambunctious here as they are in the states or in Mexico. Afterwards, we went back to the hostel walking and decided to have dinner at the Swiss restaurant across the street from the hostel, which the girls really wanted because they had food that they also serve in France. Once again, I felt left out because they kept speaking French, but it was okay because I just focused on myself and my food. I was also texting my boyfriend, so that made it a little better, We paid and then went back to the hostel. I took the bottom bunk, Baya took the top bunk, and Hilary took the single bed. I got ready for bed and went to sleep, but it was difficult because Baya was on the phone with her boyfriend for hours--and although she was whispering, it was still loud. I was still able to sleep, though, so that's good.

25 May, Saturday
Saturday, we ate breakfast at our hostel, which was included in the cost. Then we made our way to the bus stop that drives to the famous Casa del Árbol (treehouse). I swung on both the normal swing, and the 360° swing—it was so exhilarating and fun! I was scared, but I'm glad I did it!

We also went to a waterfall called El Pailón del Diablo (left), where we hiked down and then back up to see from both heights and angles. I even crawled through little space to get closer to the waterfall, where I--no doubt--got bit by multiple little bugs; I was also wearing shorts, so they did not help.  Although going to tourist attractions may be pricey with too many people, it is really great to observe all the different people from all over—both those Native to the land/country/city, and those travelers from everywhere else. The attractions are also attractions because they are so fun and beautiful to experience. This night, Baya, Hilary, and I went to a night club that is on the top floor of a hostel--I would have liked to go somewhere more local, but it's the only one we heard about that we semi-trusted. There were mainly tourists at this club and the DJs were playing electronic music rather than Latin music (which I expected and wanted). We ended up leaving early because people started getting a little too under the influence of alcohol. It was raining when we left, and when we returned we met our hostel host across the street drinking with a few buddies. I went straight up to our room to get ready for bed, but Baya and Hilary stayed because they wanted to buy a dessert from the restaurant. I went to bed and promptly tried to go to sleep before Baya and Hilary returned because I knew it would take me a while to go to sleep. I fell asleep but was then at about 2:30 in the morning, I was woken up by a frantic Hilary waking up Baya while the bed shook--I couldn't understand because they were talking in French, but what I gathered from the interaction is that they were scared and seeing if there were people outside their rooms. Apparently there was a strong earthquake in Peru that affected Ecuador. I guess I felt it, but I thought it was Baya moving around in the top bunk. I went back to sleep, but apparently Baya and Hilary couldn't because they were too scared. 

26 May, Sunday
At breakfast this morning, there were two American girls also there, so Baya wanted me to ask them in English if they felt the tremor--since I didn't. The girls did, but they said it was normal because they are from California; it was nice being able to converse with them in English because I have been feeling left out the passed two days. Anyway, this day, we just walked around the city a bit before having to gather our things and leave Baños. We got our tickets for the bus early, but this time I couldn't really sleep because I was in the aisle seat and there was a man next to me, so I didn't know if he was going to get off earlier than at the Quito station. We took a taxi back to our homes. I didn't realize how big Quito was until this taxi ride; the ride to the station was early in the morning, so it was dark. However, this time, it was the afternoon and I could see the whole city, and it was so beautiful, I'm so sad that I am only here for three weeks; I with I could stay longer. Anyway, I got home and relaxed, preparing for the next day at school.