Traveling from Ecuador’s Andean highlands down to its jungle lowlands, we just tried to relax and go with the flow. With the furthest point from the center of the Earth as our launch pad, we plummeted through cascading landscapes, and eventually plunged into the Amazon rainforest.
The Earth is neither round nor perfectly spherical. Protruding at its midsection, it is considered an oblate spheroid, resembling a partially-deflated and sat-upon yoga ball. As a result of our globe’s bulging equatorial waistline, Ecuador’s Chimborazo Volcano is determined to be the furthest point on the planet from the center of the Earth.
Starting further away from the Earth’s core than the summit of Mt. Everest, we pushed off on our grand descent by coasting down the ice-capped volcano on free-wheeling mountain bikes. Without exertion, we just sat back, held on, and let the force of gravity carry us down-slope.
Dismounting in the town of Guano, we met the diminutive Baltazar Ushca, the last iceman of Chimborazo. For 60 years, Mr. Ushca carried glacial ice down the mountain, until modern refrigeration ended his career. Now, he is a national treasure, honored by the country’s president, and the subject of multiple magazine articles and international documentaries.
Like the downstream gathering of melted glacial ice, our downhill journey continued by bus along swollen rivers headed for the Amazon rainforest. In the tourist town of Baños, we stopped for a few days to rest, relax, and follow another mountain bike trail. This time, we rode the popular Waterfall Route along the raging Pastaza River.
All along the way, the torrent cascaded over a stair-stepped series of volcanic escarpments. Ten miles (16 km) downriver from Baños, we culminated our bike ride at Pailón del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron), a ferocious 260-foot (80 m) waterfall. Here, we hiked above, below, and behind the falls for a thundering and soaking experience.
The next day, we subjected ourselves to another soaking experience. Baños, means “baths” in Spanish, and is famous for its mineral-rich hot springs and spa resorts. At a day spa in Baños, we soaked a whole relaxing day away in thermal pools and eucalyptus-scented hot steam boxes.
Fully relaxed, we embarked on the stress-free final leg of our journey to the Amazon rainforest. In the rainforest, overgrown roads gradually gave way to navigable rivers and streams. During our four-day stay, the primary means of transportation were motor canoes capable of traversing the strong currents of the immense river system.
Our remote jungle ecolodge rested high above the broad and substantial Napo River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. As we anticipated, outside temperatures and humidity levels rose each day, dark leaden clouds threatened above the dense jungle canopy, and powerful sheets of rain pummeled our weather-resistant cabin.
With raingear and rubber boots, our days in the rainforest were full of muddy jungle hikes, indigenous village visits, motor canoe tours, and wildlife encounters. From high on snowy Chimborazo Volcano to watery Baños, and finally into the saturated jungle along the Napo River, we just followed the flow down to the Amazon rainforest.
Feature Photo: The Swing at the End of the World, Baños
Month at a Time Travel 
What a great journey – love the whole concept of the start and end points and everything in between. And clearly there were some fabulous experiences along the way. The walk behind the powerful waterfall would be a “must do” for us….whereas the steam boxes would be a “maybe”. Joe you certainly got sone diverse experiences whilst in Ecuador huh.
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It was a fun week, Phil & Michaela. The waterfalls around Baños were spectacular, but maybe the best hour we spent during our entire Ecuador trip was the hot steam box experience. Inside the box, there is a lever so you can control the amount of hot steam you can tolerate. Even on the lowest setting, I was pouring sweat and almost burned myself. I hope you are enjoying your time at home, and look forward to reading about your next adventure.
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Man, your adventures, boldness and sense of curiosity are fantastic. I marvel.
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Thanks, Neil! Despite all the crazy stuff we end up doing on our trips, my favorite thing is to just walk around and look at things. I know you can relate to that.
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Definitely a fabulous adventure for you guys, Joe. That picture of you so close to the waterfall at Pastaza River is both scary and wondrous all at the same time. Kudos to you for doing that! How hard was the blow gun? It looks LONG. – Marty
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There are a lot of exciting things to do in Ecuador, Marty. The Pastaza River waterfalls around Baños are spectacular. Kudos to the local authorities for allowing the visitors to get so close to the raging falls. It was a spine-chilling and wet experience. Shooting a blow gun in the rainforest was also a new experience The target was a wooden life-sized owl sitting on a pedestal at a distance of about 30 yards. I aimed the gun between the owl’s eyes, took a deep breath, and blew hard. The hand made dart dropped a little in flight and stuck into the center its chest. For being such a rudimentary weapon, I was amazed at the accuracy and ease of use.
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That’s quite the trek. I guess people aren’t the only things to get a bit of spread around the middle as we age. Chimborazo Volcano must be an “outie.” The whole excursion looks like fun – as long as your brakes work…
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Haha! The Earth’s expanded waistline creates quite a curious and unexpected geographical phenomenon. Although we did not hike to the summit of Chimborazo, our final altitude of 5,100 meters was still further from the center of the Earth than the summit of Mt. Everest. Biking on the volcano was steep and bumpy. I might have worn out an entire brake pad on the way down.
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What a change from start to finish!! I am in awe of your sense of adventure and your willingness to explore new places. Thanks for sharing these trips with us. I may never be able to experience the Amazon rainforest personally, but I’m sure enjoying “being along for the ride” on your trip!
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Thank you for joining us, Ann. It is wonderful to have you along for the ride. Before leaving Ecuador, we also visited the monument marking the location of the equator outside the capital city of Quito. It was not as thrilling as our rainforest adventure, but we loved learning more about the geography and physics of the middle of the Earth. This week, we returned home to Arizona, and are now enjoying the much slower pace of life.
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Joe, this looks like quite an adventure. You managed to squeeze in a bit of everything on this trip. I love geography factoids, particularly if they’re weird, and the farthest distance from the center of the earth qualifies. I would have lost that bet. When we were in Peru we wanted to venture over to the rainforest, but couldn’t pull it off easily from the W side of the mountains. The rainforest is in your face, but man, it abounds in interesting life, much of which is an study in evolution.
BTW, love, love the steam bath photos. With the illusion of heads only, I’m thinking the perfect Halloween card. ~James
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