Packed in Baños

Having just gotten back here this morning, it seems that Baños is totally packed this weekend! Apparently it's a long weekend holiday all over Ecuador, so hundreds of domestic tourists (most from Quito) have flocked down here to have a party weekend. Luckily, the very basic Patty still had space for us; but I'd say that most places are fully booked until Monday. The streets are full of expensive cars; the sidewalks are chockers with rich young Ecuadorian couples and families; and the beer is overflowing at the bars, even in the middle of the day. Gonna be a big one tonight.

Patrick and I got approached by a bunch of Ecuadorians who are staying at Patty with us. These folks had been partying all of last night (don't think they've gotten any sleep in the past 24 hours), and they invited us across the road to Peña Mocambo, to join them in continuing the fiesta. Beers at 2 in the arvo aren't usually my thing; but what the hell — when in Baños, as they say. Turned out that it was the birthday of one of the guys, and he was living it up in honour of the occasion. Sprinkled confetti all over us, bought us plenty of beers, and attempted to speak with us in English (with mixed results). A bit random, but it was all good.