Not only is Banos, Ecuador, home to pristine waterfalls, active volcanoes, adventure sports and delicious candy, it also has some impressive graffiti art. What’s interesting is that while the city itself gives off an optimistic and happy vibe through its natural beauty, cozy coffee shops and locals twisting and shaping pounds of sugar cane into colorful taffy, the graffiti takes on a dark and sometimes morbid edge.
The art has a very contrasting feel, not only to the city itself, but also to the usual political graffiti you see in many places, such as in the street art in Buenos Aires. Instead, these unworldly, cartoon-like depictions will have you perplexed, disturbed and amazed at the same time.
I took these shots while walking around the main part of the city and was really impressed with the creativity. For a better idea of graffiti in Banos, check out the gallery below.
This post was adapted from my original article on Gadling.
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
