on my last day in quito, i decided i must indulge my love of natural hot water and go high into the andes 70 kilometers east of quito to the thermal spa town of papallacta. getting there via public transport turned out to be an ill-advised adventure. first, i took the public bus to a huge bus station in the far southern reaches of quito. quito stretches over 100 kilometers north to south, so this took a while. i then got on the infrequently-timed slow bus to papallacta, and the only explanation was that both the driver had never driven a bus before and everything other than first gear was broken, because we finally arrived in papallacta over 7 hours after i had set out. would not advise this route.
but when i finally arrived in papallacta it was magical! they are many outdoor spa pools with varying intensities of natural hot water, all with views of the surrounding hills, clothed in cool mist. there were ice-cold plunge pools sourced from the local stream and gatorade for sale. if i lived in ecuador i’d be there every weekend.
afterward, i had an amazing $6 meal of fresh trout, the town’s delicacy. perfect end to a great time in the amazing country of ecuador!
