volcanoes and waterfalls

i arrived in banos a few days ago. its a small town at the bottom of the largest active volcao in equador. actually, a few weeks ago they had to evacuate the villages higher up because it was getting a little bit too active. Last night we took a chiva bus to a look out point to watch the volcanic activity. I saw a little bit of i dont know if it was lava or fire, and heared it groan. it felt more like watching some living being, than land mass. it almost sounded as though it was hungery. it felt a little erie. i quite liked it.



banos is known for its hot springs, hikes, volcanoes, rivers and waterfalls. there are alot of different tours and treks to take from here. i decided to try repelling in the falls. i suppose that there are a few things i should've thought about first. one being that maybe my spanish is sufficient to find out about the tour, but perhaps not good enough to understand all the instructions. second, that it might not be the best activity to try with a bad shoulder. yes. i dislocated it jumping into a waterfall. this actually was only the first and beginner waterfall. and my joints are actaully loose enough that i can tell someone how to put it back in - even in spanish.


so needless to say my afternoon was cut short, i wish i could've finished it. it was actually harder than i expected. i dont know why i thought that it would be pretty simple. but you have to lean back really far so that you dont slip, you're fighting against the natural force of gravity, the frictions of wet rocks, and the force of the water pulling you downward. it was intense to say the least.