banos and salasaka ecuador

I am not sure if this post will publish as I am having technical difficulties. Now it looks like I can publish but not with pictures.,,grrr

Banos is very nice but since they expected rain all week, I have wanted to volunteer somewhere and a friend was volunteering at a school less than an hour bus ride away I decided to leave banos and volunteer at escuela katitawa.

You can volunteer for any length of time but if it less than two weeks long you pay $5 per day for a dorm room, breakfast and lunch, people take turns making dinner.

There is no internet at the dorm or at the school only at the library.

I thought I head my name being called this morning but when I did not respond people thought I left earlier and took off.

Somehow my walking directions were not correct and when I asked along the way I was told they were corrxt.

I ended up at the wrong school and took a $1 taxi to the correct school.

The school and classes are small...3-5 students per class. I am told it is less expensive for students to pay to go here versus free government run schools because they do not need to pay for books.

I will probably volunteer 3 days and then head "somewhere" Saturday.

Back to banos, one day I walked to the Virgin statue and around town,

The next day I went to el refugio banks which was quite interesting. You sit in a personal steam box where you have control of the amount of steam for about 5 minutes. After thast they immediately pour cold water over you! They also give youherrbal tea. They do this four times.

After that I went to the thermal springs and got a massage. A very relaxing day.

 This is a nightclub that was built and supposedly then closed because of seismic/structural challenges

Above all in banos

Below all in salasaka

 Classrooms

 Kitchen

 Christmas play rehearsal

 Soledad, one of the students

 Leann, the volunteer that told me about the opportunity, practicing lines with Adrianna

 Apparently they frequently have these parties at people's houses often. People arrive on horseback In "teams"and have somebody to watch their horses who also is a designated driver. Basically you are supposed to eat or drink whatever is offered to you. This was one of the smaller parties wed night. there was supposed to be a big one Friday night but I wanted to get to my next Volunteer opportunity because they aonre doing some fun things on Saturday morning that I wanted to participate in.

One of the riders on the way to the party.