DAY TRIP TO BANI

As you know, I advise travelers to get out of the city and experience different parts of the country. On my recent vacation I took a day trip to Bani. Didn't know exactly what to expect. I figured it was far enough away from the city to offer a different vibe, yet close enough not to have to spend the night. In my internet surfing I had noticed that Bani had it's share of beautiful muchachos.

Interesting coincidence: My friends and I were sitting on the Mercure veranda having a late lunch when this guy (whom they had seen earlier) came over to chat with us. Surprise, he was from Bani! He was headed home that evening, but agreed to meet us in Bani the next day.

We started out for Bani the next morning, but stopped by San Miguel to visit our friend Narciso. He was excited to see us and we made arrangements to stop again on our way back from Bani.

I can't emphasis enough how different Bani is from the city. It is unbelievably clean and charming. (Sort of like the way they clean Disneyland every night so the next days visitors will also be awestruck.) And the muchachos didn't disappoint. I will definitely spend more time there on a future vacation. While we were relaxing and taking pictures in the park, two guys (who spoke english well) approached us to inquire what type of services we may need. They appeared somewhat questionable so we basically ignored them. We then went across the street to have lunch at a chinese-operated buffet. DE-Lish! During this time, two guys had taken the booth behind ours and kept glancing our way. When they finished they sat outside across from our van. (an obvious gesture for attention) Unfortunately, our time was short. However, all this action in such a short amount of time is why I will definitely be going back to Bani!

We stopped at a river on the outskirts of town, the view of the nearby mountains is stunning. We said our goodbyes to a new friend, then headed back to San Miguel where Narciso had arranged a small party. What a day!