the swing on the edge of the world | baños, ecuador

If all I had was 24 hours to spend in Baños, I'd do it again. Zander and I stood at the airport in San Cristobal in the Galapagos, and we talked through the rest of our time in Ecuador - just barely 48 hours. It would take us 12 hours to get to Baños, and we'd have less than 24 to spend there before a 4 hour bus ride back to Quito on the same day we would have to catch our flight back to the States. We said it'd make more sense to do something closer to Quito for our last day. We said what if the bus was late? What if we missed our flight back to the States? We said it wasn't worth it.

We went to Baños anyway.

We traveled 12 hours to get to a tiny city that's more like a town - colorful streets, old churches with marked Spanish influence, volcanoes and mountains rising from the edges of the valley, all of it walkable in less than an hour or two. We went all the way there to see La Casa del Arbol in person - an old wooden tree house situated on the edge of a cliff, looking out over a volcano. We didn't have a hotel booked, and the city was jam-packed in those few days after Christmas and before New Year's. It was completely irrational -- and that's what makes it so unforgettable.

A thick, chunky, strong branch extends out from the tree house and dangling from it, jostling over land and then thin air with just the right breeze, a simple wooden swing secured by ropes. The images are breathtaking - and terrifying. "Swing if you dare" seems to be the motto. And adventurers from all over the world do dare to sit back on the wooden bench, their hands gripping the rope, everything in them hoping that this isn't the time when the rope breaks or the branch gives, and they push off, their feet kicking off dirt and grass and within seconds dangling over nothing but air. We dared to.

I scooted back onto the wooden bench swing and wrapped my hands around the rope. I walked backwards until the rope was taught and took a running kick start before swinging up over the cliff. That day the skies were gray, and heavy clouds obscured the view. Round, full raindrops popped on our cheeks, our hair, our clothes, threatening a bigger storm to come.

We met a photographer - a student at Emerson in Boston, and I excitedly told him that my best friend went there, too. He and his friends were in Ecuador for a scuba diving trip in the Galapagos. They only had a few days on the mainland, and they were spending them in Baños, just to see and experience this swing on the edge of the world.

The city is nestled in a valley surrounded by volcanoes - notably, Tungurahua volcano. Waterfalls cascade down steep mountainsides - some are as easy to spot as the giant one on the edge of the city; others are reached by a 20 minute drive and a hike, if you're willing. There are ATVs, bicycles, and scooters to rent at side-by-side shops that line the streets. There are public hot springs - some in walking distance from anywhere within the city and others more remote in the mountains, accessible by a drive. There's white water rafting, ziplining through the dense jungles, splunking in the deep crevices of caves, and just about any other adventure activity you can imagine.

With all those volcanoes flanking the city, a person might wonder how anyone takes their chances living there. There's a deep-rooted religiosity and a little bit of superstition- a belief that the city has been saved and will always be protected by the Virgin Mary. And so a statue of her rests on one of the highest points around, visible from all over the city.

We wandered back to our hotel around hour 18 of 24, full from dinner and silly from wine. We spotted Mary, cast in a green glow from a source we never did find. A couple that we had met in the Galapagos walked past us, and we all stopped to chat. In our hotel room, we stood out on the balcony and listened to the La Cascada de la Virgen waterfall before going to sleep.

I'm glad we went to Baños anyway.