Otavalo

We wanted to go to Otavalo to see the market and the surrounding countryside so we decided to hire a guide/driver. Although it seemed a bit pricy ($150), it gave us the freedom to be on our own schedule. Ivan picked us up at 7:15 am so that we could make it in time to see the end of the animal market. The traffic was horrendous, which isn't abnormal. The long, narrow corridor of the city makes it  difficult to get around. Ivan spoke very good English. He gave us tons of information and patiently answered all of our questions. We arrived in Otavalo still about 9:30 am and walked over to the animal market which was nearly wrapping up. There were pigs, cows, chickens, chicks, rabbits, guinea pigs, kittens and puppies. It was very difficult for Lynda to see all the puppies and kittens. Some were crammed into cages, others were in cardboard boxes. They were all very cute. One little girl was rewarded with a puppy that only cost $3. Craig was able to take some great people and animal pictures.

Afterwards we drove to the regular market. It was very grand in comparison to the Ladner Village market. There were thousands of stalls. We decided there was no excuse for not eating healthy in this country. The fruits and vegetables were plentiful and they had obviously just come out of the ground.  The market sold everything you could possibly imagine. We found a stall with an artist selling his original works of art. Lynda was very tempted to buy one of his Quito scenes, but they were a bit too much money and he was not willing to bring his price down enough for our liking. Afterwards, we drove to a very lovely hostel for lunch. 

Feeling invigorated and refreshed, we drove to the tiny village of Peguche where we visited the Cascadas (waterfalls). These falls are sacred and an integral part of a sun festival which takes place in June. We also visited the weaving shop of Jose Maria Cotocachi and Maria Fichabamba. Maria demonstrated the weaving process for us. Lynda splurged and bought herself a scarf made of alpaca wool. Our final stop was at the home of the music group, Nanda Manachi. We heard them play their Andean music at the hostel at lunch and since Ivan knew them well, we stopped by their home. The father of the group demonstrated some Andean instruments for us and made a small set of pipes. Craig, who is always looking for theme music to play with our slide shows, bought a cd.  

Our long day was coming to an end. We drove back to Quito. By the time we were dropped off, Ivan had put in a 12 hour day. He was also going to do our very early morning transfer (5am) to the airport so we could get our flight to the Galápagos Islands. We are very excited about our impending adventure!

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