For our latest class field trip for Mountain Geology we went to Banos and the surrounding volcanoes in the area. Tungurahua is very close to where we stayed and it erupts every 2-3 months, but unfortunately we weren't able to experience that. The mountain pictured below is Chimborazo, the largest mountain in Ecuador. The alpacas you see are called vicunas and they are wild alpacas that are found EVERYWHERE on Chimborazo. The views we saw were absolutely breathtaking as you can see from the pictures below. We were deep in a valley with high walls of dense foliage that cascaded dozens of waterfalls into the rivers below. We traveled around in a comfortable bus to various places with interesting rock formations and the we would hop off and hike around for a bit before heading to our next stop. Banos is so named because there are natural hot springs that are so hot they have to mix the water with the chilly waterfall right next to them. The second night we visited these hot springs that were full of local people that come almost every night to relax after a hard day's work. The pool we spent most of our time in was yellow with mineral deposits that are supposed to be good for your body. Overall it was an amazing trip to a beautiful location that I would certainly return to if I have the chance again.
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