My first "attempted" robbery and the hot springs of Papallacta

So, the other day I decided to head up to Papallacta (a small mountain town known for their crystle clear mineral hot springs- "termas") with a Venezuelan friend, Aaron, from the hostel. Since it was my first bus ride, I was more than happy to take the 2.5 hour ride with a South American who knows the ins-and-outs! We boarded and he put his bag in the overhead compartment right over our seat. I was nervous about it, but I figured he does this all the time, so he must know if it is safe or not. But about 5 minutes into the trip my paranoia took the best of me and i took my camera and money out the bag and held them on my lap. The whole beginning of the route out of the city there are vendors and people coming in and out the bus, so I was still watching my bag like a hawk. I must have looked away for 30 seconds and looked back and the bag was GONE! I couldnt believe it! Aaron and I are yelling "donde esta la mochila" and causing a scene and finally some young ecaudorian guy motions to the seat behind us. Well, there was my bag...open on the floor with its contents spilling out everywhere. Luckily, they were just looking for money or cameras and didnt touch the stuff that was important to me like my glasses and contacts and clothes! Crisis averted, but I definately learned a valuable lesson. I will always keep everything on my lap. I am still amazed how they grabbed it and went through it in a matter of seconds without me noticing!

The view on the ride up to Papallacta. Relaxing in the hot spring and enjoying the amazing views!

There are around 10 different pools of varying hotness.

This one was my favorite...very deep and very hot!

The Venezualan, Aaron, who took the trip with me.

Sporting the Ecaudorian handicrafts: handmade poncho and bag.

The pools are natural hot springs from the nearby volcano, but contain no sulpher. They are supposed to be really good for your body...helping aches and pains and clearing the skin. Also, you can take a very painful jump into the freezing cold pool and then back into the hot and it is supposed to be great for your circulation. I did this... and it felt like pins and needles all over my whole body!