Baños

Baños is a relatively small city on the edge of el Oriente, the rainforest region in eastern Ecuador. It takes its name from its number of hot springs, and is famous for outdoor tourist attractions such as mountain biking, repelling, bungie jumping (or a form thereof), hiking, and white water rafting. When I went it was very cold, so I stayed away from the water activities and instead did the biking and hiking parts (you wouldn't have done the "bungie jumping" either if you had seen the set-up!)

Besides the good excercise, I met some folks from France and Switzerland backpacking S. America, partook of the nightlife, and passed by the cemetary on November 1st, Dia de los Difuntos (apparently Mexico's name of Dia de los Muertos sounds a little crude here.) The day is also celebrated differently, with slightly less dance and revelry than in Mexico, although the city of Cuenca apparently has some pretty elaborate parties. Instead, families cook delicious food and buy flowers that to bring to the graves of deceased family members. It seems to be far more about respect and memory than mourning.