Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Daily pleasures in Baños.....
Contributed by Linda Bastiani Wilson
AT Consultant
Agua Santa de Baños is a small tourist town at the bottom of a valley near the Tunguragua volcano. It offers hot baths in the form of swimming pool complexes. The water is heated by the volcano. We have been going to the Baños de la Virgin (many things in Ecuador have religious names. The Virgin was a saint who performed many miracles in the region and the murals at the town church are mostly devoted to those stories).
The hot baths are packed, especially on the weekends. There is a large pool upstairs that is 38 degrees celcius. We usually dont go in that one because it is quite crowded. There is also a regular swimming pool up there where you can swim laps and the water is cool. Downstairs, is a snack bar serving up a variety of unrecognizable foods and some we do recognize, like watermelon and tuna fish. There is a round pool lined with stones that has water at 42 degrees and two smaller round pools that look like jacuzzis, but are really cold plunge pools (brrrr).
You collect a plastic bin from a stack near the wall. Go into the changing room and put your things in the bin. Then you take your bin to the coat check and you receive a rubber bracelet with your number on it. You are supposed to take a shower before entering the pool. It took us two visits before we figured out that you didnt have to use the cold showers in the changing rooms, but could use the warm showers around the corner. Since we are usually pretty cold when we get there as the weather has been chilly, this was an important discovery.
The proper way to bathe is to spend a few minutes in the hot pool, then switch to the cold plunge. The Ecuadorians are able to completely submerge themselves, but I can only sometimes get up to my neck. It is really great to get back into the hot pool after a quick cool-off. Usually, we do this cycle 4 or 5 times before we are ready to leave. It is amazing how refreshing and relaxing an experience it is! We have been in Baños for a week, and a few of us have been able to enjoy the baths almost every night.
AT Consultant
Agua Santa de Baños is a small tourist town at the bottom of a valley near the Tunguragua volcano. It offers hot baths in the form of swimming pool complexes. The water is heated by the volcano. We have been going to the Baños de la Virgin (many things in Ecuador have religious names. The Virgin was a saint who performed many miracles in the region and the murals at the town church are mostly devoted to those stories).
The hot baths are packed, especially on the weekends. There is a large pool upstairs that is 38 degrees celcius. We usually dont go in that one because it is quite crowded. There is also a regular swimming pool up there where you can swim laps and the water is cool. Downstairs, is a snack bar serving up a variety of unrecognizable foods and some we do recognize, like watermelon and tuna fish. There is a round pool lined with stones that has water at 42 degrees and two smaller round pools that look like jacuzzis, but are really cold plunge pools (brrrr).
You collect a plastic bin from a stack near the wall. Go into the changing room and put your things in the bin. Then you take your bin to the coat check and you receive a rubber bracelet with your number on it. You are supposed to take a shower before entering the pool. It took us two visits before we figured out that you didnt have to use the cold showers in the changing rooms, but could use the warm showers around the corner. Since we are usually pretty cold when we get there as the weather has been chilly, this was an important discovery.
The proper way to bathe is to spend a few minutes in the hot pool, then switch to the cold plunge. The Ecuadorians are able to completely submerge themselves, but I can only sometimes get up to my neck. It is really great to get back into the hot pool after a quick cool-off. Usually, we do this cycle 4 or 5 times before we are ready to leave. It is amazing how refreshing and relaxing an experience it is! We have been in Baños for a week, and a few of us have been able to enjoy the baths almost every night.
