Carnaval in Baños and Ambato
March 9, 2019
For those of you that do not know, Carnaval is pretty much the Mardi Gras of Latin America. This long weekend is an explosion of joy and celebration everywhere. There are parades and performances all weekend. People fill the streets, throwing eggs, water, flower, and foam at each other.
A big portion of my cohort was going to go to Guaranda, which is a small town known for having a big Carnaval celebration. My roommate was planning a solo trip to Cuenca, and I went with Rachel and Andres to Baños. Which did not disappoint. Everywhere we went people were singing, dancing, and celebrating in the streets.
The first day we were here, we walked up from our hostel to the virgin statue mirador. We could still hear the music and celebrations at the top of too many stairs. That night we went out with friends we made in our hostel and made plans to go to the fiesta de frutas y flores en Ambato, a short bus ride away from Baños. Comparsas, night walks, floral exhibitions, artistic and cultural events, craft fairs, agricultural and a bullfighting event, bring thousands of tourists to Ambato each year for Carnaval. The whole day we were watching the parade and joining the party, while being attacked by children with foam guns.
On our way from Ambato back to Baños I got a devastating call from my parents that ended my celebration. I spent the night thinking and decided the next day I would try to find some solace at Velo de la Novia. After a few hours of staring in the distance, Andres joined me to hike to another waterfall and bring me back to the hostel.
The next day we went to the thermal baths at Luna Volcan Spa. Where the views of Baños were absolutely breathtaking. After some more relaxation and alone time I decided I needed to go home to see my family. So a painful call home and I booked an unexpected flight to Connecticut.
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