THE SOUTHERN AMERICAN SERIES PT18
BANÔS – QUITO, ECUADOR
Ecuador doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves but with competition against the likes of Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia, its no wonder.
I SPENT 3 DAYS LYING IN BED EATING THE ODD SPOONFUL OF NUTELLA
I arrived in Quito and as it was known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world I decided to keep my time short here and visit the Equator.
WHERE IS BANÔS?
A Swing, The Equator & needing the Banôs in Banôs
THE EQUATOR THAT ISN’T
I checked into Discovery Quito Hostel which was perfectly safe and ticked all the boxes I needed. They also showed me how to get to the equator.
The complex is pretty impressive, there is a palatial iron gate which opens onto a stately drive with statues of previous leaders, Ecuador really went for it here. Once you made the walk up and past the museum you will then reach a large monument which has a yellow line that goes right through the centre of it. The thought of standing on the equator really appealed to be until I was told it wasn’t
THE REAL EQUATOR
The real equator is just a few hundred yards further north and the land owners have since made the most of the governments mishap and built their own rather shabby but more accurate attraction!
NEEDING THE BANOS IN BANOS
My days in Banõs was meant to be spent rafting, exploring waterfalls, chilling in a thermal bath, ziplining and plenty of other cool activities. It is well known at the adventure capital of South America but it didn’t go quite to plan. I was getting the 3 hour bus from Quito when I started to feel unwell. Anyone who’s been sick knows the last place you want to be is a bus when you are feeling ill. I was just glad it was shorter that the ones I had taken previously.
SWINGING AT THE END OF THE WORLD
After almost 3 days in bed and completely exhausted I knew there was one thing I could see before heading back to Quito, the swing at the end of the world. It sounds dramatic but it’s a swing at the edge of a hill made famous by the insane photos on Instagram.
RELATED READ: DIVING WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS
A Swing, The Equator & needing the Banôs in Banôs
RATINGS….
- PEOPLE – 7/10
- BACKPACKING – 7.5/10
- SAFETY – 6.5/10 (Banôs is great, Quito not so much)
- WEATHER – 7.5/10
- THINGS TO DO – 8/10
- VALUE – 8/10
FINAL THOUGHTS
A complete shame as Banõs was meant to be a highlight but this was the first time I’ve been ill on my travels, hangovers excluded. Not a bad record due to all the questionable food I’ve had.
NEXT UP
Swimming with sharks in the Galapagos! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
81/229
This post is part of The Southern American Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
