I will also add that Ecuador, in general, doesn't seem to be a mainstream tourist destination (yet) because...I have not seen one single Japanese tourist anywhere (and they're seen everywhere). [6/11/12: Well, I take this statement back. Ran into a group of about 10 Japanese tourists who came into the restaurant Mike and I were eating lunch at, in Baños. They had a microbus with the roof loaded with brightly colored Japanese suitcases. Well, I'll be darned.] It still primarily attracts the backpacker/adventure traveler types. And, we are glad to be out of the chaos and dangers of Quito, in order to relax in Baños for a week.
Baños de Agua Santa sells itself, really. Anyone who seeks this place will immediately recognize that it is a big destination spot for Ecuadorians as well as backpackers. Baños is a quaint town of about 11x7 blocks that sits in a valley at the base of an active Volcano Tungurahua with mineral hot springs boasting healing properties and lots of extreme outdoor adventures. What's not to love?! We can see that foreigners have also recognized its beauty and never left; starting up hostels, adventure sports, and restaurants in town. We've already met a few - Lucas from Los Angeles who married an Ecuadorian, working at the restaurant we ate tonight; Lorenzo from California who runs a bed-and-breakfast for a Spanish family that owns the large home. Most Ecuadorian businesses here understand the opportunities in tourism and speak enough English.
Cascada de la Virgin de Aguas Santas, the Virgin of the Holy Waters Waterfalls is the main waterfall in town.
Legend has it that the waters flowing from the Cascada has healing properties and pilgrims have been coming here for decades to drink the water. Here is Mike, drinking from the spring waters.
The namesake hot springs pools is called La Piscina de la Virgen, which we plan to visit when it doesn't look so crowded! The bath waters are freshest at 5am and 6pm.
The plaza at Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa where we bought a popular street snack called Tostados y Chochos: toasted corn nuts, lupini beans, a lime wedge, and a red onion/tomato salsa fresca.
Calle Ambato is the main street of Baños. On the corner is a very popular restaurant with locals that serves rotisserie chicken and grilled steaks. And yes, there is the ever popular guinea pig or cuy on the grill outdoors. Melcocha, sugar cane taffy, is Ecuador's hallmark candy and you can see it being made by hand everywhere. Here, we are enjoying a glass of wine, overlooking Calle Ambato. 
We felt a certain excitement in town this morning as we walked around, seeing more and more people wearing their neon yellow Ecuadorian fútbol team jerseys. We found out that Ecuador would be playing Columbia in a FIFA World Cup qualifier fútbol game this afternoon at around 3 or 4 pm. In preparation for the game, we got comfortable in a small bar, ordered some drinks and waited for the the Uruguay-Peru game to end. When, a whole family of about 20 Ecuadorians from Cotopaxi about 2 hours away (yes, I asked them in Spanish), descended upon this bar with their children in tow. They wanted to watch the fútbol game, of course!
We bought them a round of cervezas and became fast friends. "Ecuador, sí se puede!" One lone Columbian fan showed up a few minutes later. They all shared their beers with her. Apparently, the hospitable custom is to share your own cup of beer with others. How nice - not sure an Alabama-Auburn rivalry crosses cup-sharing boundaries. Everyone kept chanting "chucho, chucho" all afternoon, so I finally asked what they were saying, and "chucho" is the nickname of a popular player, #11 forward, Christian Benitez. Also, there was absolutely no commercial breaks during the entire 2 hour livecast. Ecuador won, 1-0! We think we brought good luck. After all, we were also present for the no-hitter win by the Tokyo Giants baseball game.
It's been one of the best afternoons spent in Ecuador. This is why people just end up staying in Baños...forever.
