Baños...finally

I finally made it to Baños this weekend. Imagine a colonial villa, white plaster walls, terra cotta roof, saunas, pools, etc. I'm sure you get the idea. L and I met up with Flor, a severely hungover British Jack, and Priscilla (L's new Cuencana friend). We took the Number 11 bus to the hills on the outskirts of Cuenca.

I had gotten a serious case of food poisoning early that week, so it was a trip from hell for Jack and I. He was scrambling to find a suitable place to "chunder," while I was doubled over in my seat, reliving Aliens.

I was imagining some sort of primordial, steaming pool, reminiscent of Precambrian Earth. Instead I got a health spa... works for me. The hot water actually cured my stomach ache!!! For the next few hours the five of us enjoyed the pool's relaxing qualities. You'll notice in some of my photos that I have taken to wearing pens as jewelry. This is not a fashion trend in Cuenca. I lost my earrings doing a backflip into the pool. Oh well. What better place for them to end their use than in a pool in Ecuador?

This was a perfect way to end my second week in Cuenca... perfectly relaxed. Especially since I took my first exam on Friday. While not all of us were at our peak, Jack put it best: What better place to nurse a hangover than poolside in Ecuador?