Baños, Ecuador Travel Guide

BAÑOS DE AGUA SANTA, ECUADOR

I can’t believe that we’ve been home from Ecuador for over a month and I’m just now sharing this blog post! As soon as we got home, we barely had our phones and just wanted to devote our time to being with family. A couple weeks later and we’ve now started school and gotten back into the swing of things. So I’m happy to be able to share this with you guys!

For the entire two months we were in Ecuador, we lived in Quito. It wasn’t until the last two weeks that we rented a car and took two weekend trips to different cities. We went to Ibarra and Otavalo during one weekend and then to Baños the next. We absolutely LOVED Baños and I wanted to share a little travel guide for you guys. Baños, much less Ecuador, doesn’t seem like a place that most people have on their bucket list, but WOW I was so surprised. It was a blast and it’s definitely a place I would recommend going to in South America.

So… let’s get into it!

WHAT TO EXPECT

• How to get there: The best way to get there is to fly into the Quito airport and then drive to Baños from there. It’s a couple hour drive. There are buses that drive to Baños from Ecuador that are like $5 per person. We rented a car so we could play music and have it just be us two. Getting there from Quito is pretty easy and the views on the way are INSANE.

• Language: The most common language in all of Ecuador is Spanish. There are a couple of spin-offs of Spanish that native Ecuadorians speak, but for the most part, Spanish is the number one.

• Currency: $$$ U.S. DOLLAR. This was such a relief for us. Not having to worry about currency exchanges was so nice and made the experience much less stressful.

• Budget: Everything in Ecuador is so cheap. Ubers and taxis are ridiculously cheap. A 20 minute taxi ride will probably cost $2.00-3.00. The food is inexpensive, especially if you get local food. You can get an “almuerzo” for $5.00 and you get a soup, juice, and entree that usually includes chicken, rice, and beans.

• Plugs: US PLUGS!! This is another relief! We didn’t have to buy any adapters to plug in our phones, computers, camera, hot tools, etc.

• Safety: I was surprised at how safe Baños was. There were tons of tourists, and unlike Quito, I wasn’t the only white blonde in the entire city. Joe and I walked around the city at night and we felt totally fine.

• Environment: The city is tucked in within the mountains right next to the Amazon forest. There’s lots of bugs, it’s VERY green, several volcanoes, waterfalls everywhere… It’s beautiful. The mountains/volcanoes will take your breath away. The city itself is very small and colorful. No big buildings, a pretty square where the cathedral is, and lots of small parks.

FOOD

• There was a great variety of food to choose from. Italian, American, Swiss, and of course, traditional Ecuadorian food. There are a couple traditional plates that’ll blow your mind…like guinea pig, blood soup, chicken feet soup, and so much more. We stayed away from those places haha. But if you’re a foodie and aren’t afraid to try new things, this is a great place to go!

• Ecuador is the HUB for CACAO! Their chocolate is so good, and their hot chocolate is even better. If you’re in Baños, you have to get some hot chocolate. I recommend going to Aromi. There are a couple different locations in Baños - you won’t be dissapointed! Another place that Joe and I went to quite often was Honey Coffee & Tea. It was so cute and they had locations in Baños, but also Quito where we lived.

Hot chocolate at Aromi

Guinea pig…. yum!

ACTIVITIES

• There are so many tourist companies in the city that offer different excursion tours. Things like zip-lining in the amazon forest (which we did and it was SO FUN), white water rafting, finding boa snakes (we opted out on that one), and so much more. I definitely recommend doing something adventurous.

• We went zip-lining and it was the best experience. There were 6 courses, some over 500 feet long, and each one went through the Amazon forest. We went over waterfalls, rivers, and the views were AMAZING. It was $20 per person, and we went with a big group.

• We also went to the Pailon del Diablo - a MASSIVE waterfall that you can hike to. You can go under the waterfall inside these caves that you have to crouch through. If you get claustrophobic, you might not like doing that. You basically have to crawl through these small caves in order to get under the waterfall. And you get absolutely SOAKED in the process. But it’s so fun and definitely an awesome experience.

Joe at Pailon del Diablo - SOAKED

WHERE TO STAY

I would 100% recommend staying where Joe and I stayed. You can see the hotel here. It was the perfect location - a two minute walk from the central square and all the restaurants. The hotel was cozy, safe, and had so much character. We really loved it!!

I know Ecuador isn’t normally on the “dream destination” bucket list, but it’s definitely worth visiting. Baños is a wonderful little town surrounded by the prettiest mountains and the sweetest people. I hope you enjoy this little travel guide and maybe it’s inspired you to consider taking a trip! Thanks for reading <3

Our hotel - it was an outside hotel.

So cute!

Quito Week One!

Hi sweet friends!

I just want to start off by saying that God sure does have a bigger plan than what we can create for ourselves. NEVER in a million years did I think I would live in South America. I’ve always been the one to dream of living in another country for some time, but that country has always been somewhere in Europe like England or France. I grew up traveling to Europe with my family, I went to a french-immersion school from pre-school until 8th grade, I think I’ve always thought of moving to Europe for some time as a realistic dream. And it still is! But before that happens, God presents this opportunity to live in South America- somewhere I had never even thought of living, somewhere that really didn’t interest me that much. Funny how that works, huh?

So here I am. In Quito, Ecuador, totally out of my element. I don’t speak Spanish, I don’t know anything about the country, I’m the only blonde in the entire city. How the heck did I get here? Well let me tell ya… My husband was presented the opportunity to train with a professional soccer team here called Liga de Quito. He plays D1 soccer at our university, but the team had the summer off, and he needed to continue training at a high level. One of his old coaches has a contact here in Ecuador and set up the gig, and I’m just here for the adventure. The opportunity was confirmed on Monday the 6th, we bought our flights that night, packed our bags, and left on that Saturday. It was SO sudden- we only had a couple of days to get everything ready. It was insane. We arrived in Quito late Sunday night and have just completed our first week - it’s been wild.

Joe lived here in Quito for about a year while he served a church mission, so LUCKILY he knows the area pretty well and he speaks good Spanish. You already know he’s been ordering every meal for me and doing all the talking in the uber rides. But in all seriousness, we are so excited and blessed to be here. I’ve been a little hesitant this week, but I’m starting to warm up to the city and the language. I’m definitely out of my comfort zone. The area of Quito where we are living is very safe, which has given me a lot of peace, and there’s plenty to do close to where we are. You’ll never believe what restaurant is just across the street from our apartment… CHILI’S. I died when I found that out.

I wanted to give you guys some first impressions of the city that I’ve noticed during the first week.

• There’s wild dogs EVERYWHERE. I want to adopt all of them. They just roam around the streets, minding their own business. Every time I see one I want to pet them, but it’s not the safest to just because you have no idea if they’re carrying a disease.

• The buildings look like legos. Lol… I’m serious. We went to a lookout spot onto the entire city and it just looked like a million little legos.

• English is not a thing here. Whenever I’ve traveled to other countries, the people usually speak a touch of English, but not here. Solo español!

• The altitude of the city is at just under 10,000 feet. When we first got here, I got winded just walking a block. There’s not a lot of oxygen in the air and you sure can feel it!

• There’s a hair salon on every block. Every block.

• The taxi and uber rides are insanely cheap. A 20 minute ride will only cost about $2.00.

• They use American dollars here.

• You’re not supposed to drink the tap water, or eat strawberries and lettuce.

• The avocados are BOMB.

• Everyone is so nice.

Those are just some of the things that I’ve noticed. It’s definitely a different world here, but I love it. Like I said, I never ever ever saw myself living here, much less visiting. It’s been the biggest blessing so far and I feel humbled to be here. Joe trains with the team from 9am to 12pm, and then we have the rest of the day together to explore and pretty much do whatever we want. We don’t have homework, we’re not working, it’s just the two of us living in this new country. What an opportunity. I’m SO grateful. God is so good- I truly believe that this trip is a part of His plan for me. I get to grow as an individual, but also grow closer to my husband. We’re so far from our families, we only have each other to rely on while we’re here.

I want to encourage you to travel somewhere that you’ve never thought of going to. Maybe it’s in South America, maybe it’s in Europe, maybe it’s another state in the U.S. Don’t worry about being out of your comfort zone, because wow I totally am. There is something truly so amazing to be in a new place that you never expected you would be in - I’ve already learned so much and I know there’s so much more to learn! The moments that we step out of our element tend to be the ones where we grow the most. I’ve for sure seen that in myself in only the week that we’ve been here. So far, it’s been the greatest adventure. Onto the next week!

Lotsa love,

Sav

London

I'm finally getting around to writing another blog post. It's been too long! I wanted to take a minute to tell you guys about my trip to London - the places I visited, the restaurants I ate at, the cafés I went to, etc. I absolutely LOVED it there so I'm so excited to tell you about it! 

We were only there for 4 full days, so we weren't able to do everything, but that's okay, it gives me a reason to go back! Like I said, I absolutely loved it. The people, the architecture, the food, the shopping, the parks... everything! One of my favorite things about London is the combination of city and nature (trees, parks, river, etc.). We visited Kensington Palace and I was taken back at how gorgeous Hyde Park was and how many people would hang out there walking their dog, riding their horse, running, walking. And then you take a couple steps outside of the park and you're surrounded by the city. The contrast is really amazing. 

We also went to Buckingham Palace, the Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and the London Bridge. Those were our touristy days. My favorite way to travel, though, is to just start walking until you find something. There was something about getting lost in those little streets that I loved. Luckily, there was something new to do or see on every block. The buildings are filled with so much character and so many fun colors! There's a pub at practically every corner you turn, and if it's past 5 o'clock, you can guarantee that people are spilling out of them. It's so fun! 

We stayed in Marylebone, a smaller area of London. I'm so glad we stayed in that area because it was SO cute. There are so many little shops, unique cafes, cute buildings. I don't think I can rave enough about how cute London is, seriously. Our hotel was located on a little side street, so we were tucked away, but it was only a couple blocks away from Oxford Street which is a bigger street with lots of shopping. It was the perfect location. When I go back, I definitely would want to stay in that area again! 

The last thing I'll say about London is how sweet and kind the people are. I didn't have a single negative experience with any cab driver, waiter, stranger, bar tender, anyone! Everyone is so welcoming and free spirited - nothing like NYC. I most definitely could see myself living there, it is such a comfortable city with everything I love. The only thing holding me back is how expensive the real estate is!! Overall I had an awesome trip and I couldn't recommend it any more! 

Here is a list of restaurants and cafés we went to! 

• - 2 Veneti

• - The Ivy Cafe

• - Ask Italian

• - Ole & Steen

• - Sourced Market

• - SOHO Coffee Co.

• - St. Christopher's Place

Those are just a few that I totally recommend! So yummy. I can't wait to go back and take Joe! It's definitely a dream. 

Love you guys! 

XOXO