Carnival!

This week, I had Monday and Tuesday off to celebrate Carnival, also known as what we call "Fat Tuesday." Here in Ecuador, no one works and everyone celebrates. I was able to travel to Baños, which is about 5-6 hours from Guayaquil.  Baños is a small town where most travelers go to participate in extreme sports, like rafting, bungie jumping, and zip lining. Other than the sports, Baños is a cool city to explore with a lot of restaurants and markets. It's absolutely beautiful because it is surrounded by mountains. You really feel like you are in South America when there. There were many people there to celebrate Carnival. The streets were full all weekend of people throwing shaving cream and water balloons at each other! It went on for days! It was a fun cultural experience. From Baños I took a day trip to Ambato where there was a big parade full of flowers and dancers. I'm glad I got to experience Carnival in Ecuador!