Otavalo Market

I can proudly say that everything my parents taught me about being frugal, getting the best deals, and hunting for bargains, paid off this weekend. Literally!




The weekend began Friday morning. Lots of rain, and lots of carsickness. Roads and traffic are a little different here. Oh, and it's in the mountains. Now I know how …

4th of November

We are travelling overland from Quito, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile overland on a big yellow truck with a company called Oasis. The accommodation will involve a mixture of hostels and camping at both bush camps (with little or no facilities) and facilitated camps.

We met most of our fellow travelers that we would be …

Tithiya, Clancy and I left Vilcabamba and turned up at the Loja bus station expecting to get a direct bus to Quito in 2 hours- wrong! We were extremely lucky to get the last 3 seats to Quito in the whole terminal - on the bus that leaves at 9:30pm -in 5 hours!!! A 12 hour bus from Loja to Quito felt like the bat mobile, the driver was on a suicide …

September 2 - 5, 2011: Quito, Ecuador

We settled in to our Quito hotel feeling tired from our overnight trip (and probably from the 9,000+ foot elevation) but excited and happy. We had the luxury of a guide, Javier, who met us at the airport, and a van and driver waiting for us. What a treat to be able to rely upon someone else to shepherd …

See September 3rd entry for description of Otavalo, and see photos below. Thanks …

Shopping day!! :))

We (Miriam, Daniel and I) went to Otavalo today, which is a city north of Quito and maybe 3 hours bus ride away. Otavalo is famous for its giant market where you can buy anything. Ponchos, "genuine" alpaca sweaters and scarves, jewelry, instruments, etc, etc, etc. All the touristy souvenirs nobody needs but everyone …

Feeling very centered here at the world's equator city. A wonderful five days in Quito and area has been just a dream. Amazing how unpacking for five whole nights can slow your mental momentum down. And having a landaria across the street do 6 pounds of laundry for $2.50
does wonders too!

Quito The City: Another Unesco site …

We left Quito in the morning for a day trip to Otavalo to see the market. It was full of beautiful colors and the types of crafts were from all over the country. Unfortunately it was raining and we were freezing (all my warm clothes were being washed …

We arrived into Quito, after not even planning to travel to Ecuador, w edecided to take a week, see some of the sights before selecting and settling in at a Spanish school. We figured it was about time to learn some of the language and Quito had a reputation of being an easy, cheap place to take classes. Quito is also 2800masl, and this was our …

So. I made it. It took god knows how long and the stupid miami airport people thought my passport was somehow fake because īSouthamptonī is in America and not England. 2 and a half hours in customs...not fun. Anyway, met at the airport by the host family mum, who is an absolute Saint. She buys me an ecuadorian phone and cooks like 5 meals a day and …

... about and they ended with 2 massive grey hawks one of which I think tried to make a break for it! Our other trip from Otavalo was to Lago Cuicocha, which is near to a small town, Cotacachi, just 30 minutes away.  This is another massive crater ...

... a beautiful volcanic crater lakes with Rowena and other volunteers. * Trapsing the streets and plazas of the never ending Otavalo Saturday market, desperately fighting the urge to buy EVERYTHING! * A visit to a nearby village and lake at which we ...

... a thick Australian accent. It turns out they were traveling around the world and were starting here in Ecuador where they had been taking spanish classes in Otavalo. They were to travel through much of South America, then up into parts of North ...

... I stood up for the entire 2 hour ride, and ended up talking with a man named Carlos Guerrero who is from Cotacachi (near Otavalo). He had never left Ecuador in his life, but has relatives in the US. I would guess him to be in his late 30's or early ...

After spending a night in Quito post-Carnaval, we left for Otavalo, located north of Quito. Otavalo is one of the most famous destinations in Ecuador - and all of South America really - due to its huge Saturday market. The indigenous communities in ...

... who know me well, won't be surprised to see how I coped with this loss.  We were on our way to Otavalo in Ecuador, the largest market in South America.  This was a must-do for me, and I practically dragged Steve along with me, so I ...

... . Drive northwards and stop at the equator line which is pretty non descript but have a photo anyway and then onto Otavalo which is a market town in the countryside. Wander into town where there is a smaller market on Friday as big one is tomorrow. ...

... over the cobblestone streets. By Friday evening we had finished out wanderings around this picturesque area of northern Ecuador and were back in Otavalo, ready for the big weekly event. If you can imagine Herbfest multiplied by fifty, then you might ...

... Cabs around Quito: Usually about $2-5 Dinner at Cueva del Oso: About $15 total, an expensive meal for Ecuador Bus fromQuito to Otavalo and back: $2, 2 hours each way Ecomontes tour to Cuyabeno Rainforest: $160 Bus from Quito to Puente de Cuyabeno: ...

... town and up to the plaza where the famous handicrafts market was to take place the next morning. We immediately liked Otavalo: it had a friendly country town feel, some ppretty buildings and was brimming with local Otavaleno Indians in traditional dress ...