Article: Pure Energy along the Route of the Cascades
Thousands of tiny drops of water surround our faces. The flow, that falls from high cliffs and explodes on the volcanic rocks of thousand-year-old canyons, makes us think that sometimes the destination is better than the journey, however beautiful the latter has been. While the route leads us to the waterfalls - that are rhythmically located just a few kilometers from one another - is part of the enjoyment, arriving to the spot and lingering for a while to recharge ourselves with that purely positive energy has no comparison. This feeling of course has many explanations, from the power of the thundering water that makes the earth tremble, to the beauty of the quality of light expressed through rainbows and trails of colorful mist.
Everything has an explanation; yes, but the sensations go beyond the scientific. Nevertheless, it's important to know the reasons: experiments have show that these drops of water scattered throughout the air, these tiny particles take on a small charge of positive electricity, and those that don't spread into the air also have the same amount of positive charge. So what we feel there is real and at the same time magical. The more time we are there, the better we feel physically, and we leave recharged with life, with our spirit and our body filled with a different energy, joyful and moved.
Accompanying the humid sensation of these droplets, small, crystalline, tiny, that wet our faces and bodies, is the powerful sound of a torrent of water thundering as it falls. This flow, which seems to fall from the sky with all of its force, generates sounds in which one moment, one instant, becomes eternal and all of nature expresses its magnificence.
The route of the waterfalls is really the route of water. This route is in few places as concentrated in as short a distance as in the Baños-Puyo path in the provinces of Tungurahua and Pastaza.
It begins in Baños, a city situated 1800 meters above sea level and with a paradisiacal climate. There also begins what will become the Amazon Rainforest, but the town's altitude isn't as hot or humid as that which we'll discover in the green vegetation on the road to Puyo. It's intriguing and might even sound arrogant to say that before getting to Baños we've already had an extraordinary visual experience, in Cotopaxi, in Ilinizas, in Pasochoa, in Corazón, in Antisana, in Sincholagua, with their eternal peaks grazing the sky and surpassing the clouds. Nothing could be better than finding ourselves eating a snack of delicious allullas (crackers with abundant oil) with queso de hoja (soft cheese wrapped in an achira or arrowroot leaf).
Let's return to our route, although the memories of the journey sometimes distract our attention. We are in the subtropics, manifested by the leafy plants, orchids, and waterfalls everywhere. In the center of Baños several tours along the route of the waterfalls are advertised, whose primary destination is likely the waterfall El Pailón del Diablo, 18 kilometers from the city. The tours are varied and can be done in groups or individually. You can rent a bike or four-wheel (cuadrón), take a bus, taxi, or chiva (a bus with a wood body, open without glass windows or doors, painted with interesting and colorful designs) or travel however you want, including walking. Perhaps the best option is by bicycle, although there is some risk involved in going along the highway if you're not a good cyclist. However you get there, you must take sugar canes or melcocha (toffee) for the road.
The first stop is Agoyán, a hydroelectric dam found a little before the waterfall, although this waterfall is minor compared to what's in store for us today. The road is always downhill; remember that we are leaving the Andes in the direction of the Amazon Rainforest. Always, from high up, the views are awe-inspiring, like the deep precipices found on one side of the road with the river racing along its floor, fed by dozens of small waterfalls that we admire as we pass. The deep precipice with the river at the bottom constantly parallels the path. There are waterfalls on both sides of the road, but heading towards Puyo the most amazing are on the side of the precipice, which allows us the opportunity to traverse the canyon on a zip-line. You have to psyche yourself up to do it and revel in the adrenaline of the speedy crossing over the precipice.
The next destination is the Manto de Novia waterfall, with a long and lovely cascade. There are paths heading down to where the water hits, and also a tarabita (an aerial cable car operated by gravity) that takes us along the 500 meters that separates the highway from the mountain, and that allows us to enjoy heights of more that 100 meters above the level of the river.
From here we are close to the Rio Verde which is the entrance to the Pailón del Diablo waterfall. Upon arriving, we have to walk about 15 minutes along a delightful path of native wild flora and vegetation made abundant by the humidity. The climax is the arrival to Pailón, where the noise of the water is deafening and where one can touch the white water full of oxygen that as it falls mixes with a river brown with the earth of the shores that it pounds.
The path continues and we descend into the radiant Amazon, relaxed and reenergized. Tiredness is just a state of mind. Puyo welcomes us with open arms. We arrive and go in search of las orejas del elefante (a dish of fried beef in large, thin cuts that look like elephant ears) and begin to feel that the route is ours.
Article by: Andrés Coppola - Ecuador infinito 1
Photos by: Andrés CoppolaUsed under permision from Ecuador Infinito: www.ecuadorinfinito.com
