Baños de Agua Santa

Baños de Agua Santa, or Holy water bathroom, is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever been to. We took a short vacation there during our Christmas holiday. In order to save money, we Rob decided to take a four hour bus ride from Quito. The ride there wasn’t horrible. We stayed in a fantastic hostel, La Posada del Arte, which overlooked this waterfall.

On our top three list of things to do while in Ecuador, going to La Casa del Arbol was at least number two. It is also known as the swing at the edge of the world. The swing is attached to a rustic tree house, situated at the edge of a cliff. In order to get to the tree house, you must hike up a pretty steep mountainside, and there were no signs directing us to where it was located. 

There are no safety measures, just you and the swing. If you let go or fall off, I suppose you die. I had zero plans of getting on the swing, letting Rob get his adrenaline rush alone. But he talked me into doing it, and so here I am, begging him not to make me do it, and then finally getting the nerve to push off. The other pics are of us standing in front of the treehouse.

Hiking back down the mountainside with a baby in tow was not easy, so a kind Ecuadorian man lent me (and Logan) a hand.

We also visited BellaVista, which gave us a view of the entire town of Baños.

After that excursion, Rob decided he wanted to jump off a bridge:

Close to our hostel was a natural thermal bath, which is what Baños is known for. It was raining when we visited the bath, but the experience was completely different from what I expected. For one, it was closer to a public swimming pool than a natural hot spring, and also we were required to wear these funny hat things. But it was a great experience. While we took turns getting in the hot bath, a military helicopter landed close by.

That night, Rob gave me the best gift: ME TIME! Abby still refuses to take a bottle, so we have had no chance for a date night, and I have had no chance to be alone. But because Baños is also known for their spas, I didn’t skip a beat when Rob told me to go get a massage, pedicure, and eyebrow wax. Total cost (including tip): $30. The pedicure was really interesting. After my massage, the lady asked me to flip onto my back. Still sans clothes (but with a towel on), she proceeded to give me my pedicure while I was lying on the table. She put a bucket of water under my feet to rinse them off. I’m not complaining. It was great.

The other great place to see in Baños is the Basilica. What a pretty cathedral.

Because the town is named after holy water, I had to try it out myself. I’m not Catholic, and I have no idea what holy water is all about, but I followed the lead from everyone else lined up by the water, and tried it out. Most people splashed some on their heads and arms, and others filled up entire jugs.

In total, we spent three days there. On the grueling bus ride back, it seemed to be well over 100 degrees, and people were not opening their windows. Then, halfway through our ride, the bus needed an oil change. And guess where the engine was? Under my feet. Here I am, lifting my feet so they could access the burning hot engine. Five minutes and two dollars later, the bus had an oil change.

What a great experience this trip was!