Moving on up to Baños, we arrived fairly early and decided to spend the day having fun in and around town instead of going right up to the Casa Amarilla (The Yellow House). That ended up to be a very good choice. You could spot it on the hillside if you looked up at it from town, and we knew there was no way to get up there but to hike or take a horse ride up (yeah, right - now that's me!). Better to do it later and only once, that's for sure!
I was a little anxious while we “played”, not knowing just what that hike up would entail. Would we find their parking spaces in town? I emailed, but didn’t get an immediate reply. Then I tried to call, but I didn’t have the right phone number exchange you have to dial first. It was late afternoon. We were cutting it close, and the rain and the dark started closing in. We knew we had to get up there. Just in time, a young guy at an internet cafe finally told us what numbers to dial. As easy as that, the young manager met us at the foot of the hill and set us up with parking. So we left most of our belongings safely and took what we needed in our backpacks. We were on our way!
No doubt about it. I huffed and puffed up that ragged path, light rain and all. It was about a 20 minute hike, and I was definitely happy to arrive. Once there, though, it was well worth it. The view of Baños and the surrounding mountains is wonderful. The inn itself is simple and homey, and the two young owners immediately made us feel welcome. We chatted with cocktails and appetizers while a lovely dinner was being cooked just for us, enjoying the view of the town from the front terrace walkway. Ahhh. Peace. Lovely after our active day of zip-lining, hiking to waterfalls, and zipping around in those buggies. 
The next morning we woke up to so much more. Cups of coffee in hand, we meandered through the pretty garden paths. Jeff spotted birds in a cage and called me over to meet his new warbling friends. We chatted with them for a bit, watched the sun come over the mountains and town. Tranquility at its best.
It wasn’t long before we had to be on our way again - this time to Quito. So we packed up and headed down the hill after a huge and wonderful breakfast, saying good bye to our lovely hosts. La Casa Amarilla is a special stay, but in light of the hike, I think it’s best for those on the “adventuresome” side. I also wonder if it would have gotten a little tough going up and down had we stayed for several days. But for that one night, it was definitely a sweet time. For its very reasonable rate, the Casa Amarilla is well worth the extra little trouble.
Facts: Casa Amarilla, Baños, Ecuador email: pao475@hotmail.com
Telephone: (593) 099 973 2728 (593) 032 743 147
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