January 12, 2001

Last night there was a tremendous thunderstorm. It was what I expected in a rainforest but I was happy we were not out in it.

It was time to say goodby to La Casa del Suizo. Did I see the macaw waving goodby? We loaded our luggage into the canoes and were off to again meet our bus and driver Hymie at Punta Ahuano

It wasn't long after starting that we got our a chance to compare plantain and banana trees. Another tree revealed something I had never seen before. Further down the road we saw some infamous Ecuadorean grapes. Everywhere you looked there seemed to be something else to see.. But following the rugged road from Punta Ahuano was not all fun and games . Really, the road was great compared with a few years ago.. We joined the main road near Puerto Napo and continued our journey through the upper Amazon basin. After again passing the traditional military checkpoint we arrived at Puyo for lunch.

After Puyo we proceeded up the Rio Pastaza canyon towards Baños. This is considered one of the best drives in Ecuador offering spectacular panoramas of the Upper Amazon basin, overhanging cliffs of the canyon with clinging tropical vegetation, and the towering Sierra mountains of the Andes range.

Waterfalls frequently cascade into the canyon. One of the most impressive is by the village of Rio Verde, 20km from Baños. Even in the high Andes people find ways to eke out a living. Farms are found in the most unlikely places..

Following landslides from heavy rain the road has recently been rebuilt and buses now regularly make this journey. Of course a driver has a major decision to make when one meets a bus coming in the opposite direction. Attempts are being made to upgrade this road across the high Andes but it may be a long time coming.. Persevering along, higher up the road we came to the once famous Agoyan Falls. We were now reaching an altitude higher than any land between here and the Atlantic 4000 miles to the east and as we approached Baños we were greeted by the majestic volcano Tungurahua spewing smoke.

Index — Ecuador & the Galapagos