Hostal Maria Otavalo

... There was a big festival on in the town to celebrate loved ones that have passed on. Its called (in english) ´The day of the dead´. The cemetry was buzzing with familties decorating the graves, along with live music and food etc. They celebrate the whole weekend and Monday and Tuesday (which are pubilc holidays), its such a fantastic festival and such a great idea. There is also a tradditional bread (I guess a similar idea to hot crossed buns) that they sell ...

... it was also much saltier because they had roasted it in this spice mix. I could only manage a morsel but as soon as I ate it I regretted it. And I regretted it the next day too... although as Christine has pointed out, who joined me this week BTW, it was probably much more likely to have been the salad that was responsible. I feel better directing my anger at the small, strange animal that in my mind is better as a pet.<br><br>Until next time, Vanessa<br><br><br><br>

... back and not doing much. If that's the case, we're doing it all wrong. We're usually up at the crack of dawn, watching the sun rise over Imbabura as we drink our morning coffee, then hit the shower, pull on our jeans, and head out to meet someone, look at something, or buy something. Shopping in Cotacachi is an interesting experience - you can find most of what you want here, but none of it's in the same place. We've discovered our two favorite panaderias (out of ...

... informing us about the wild orchids, caterpillars, and poison berries that could be used as dye&#8230;Ania and I just listened. Soon we headed back to the pueblo Cotocachi. The taxi driver replied to my inquiry about the cost of our journey, &#8220;Whatever you think.&#8221; Huh? I thought we agreed on $5 one way. And then I understood. He wasn&#8217;t Mr. Nice Tourguide just because. So we kindly gave him a gratuity of $.50 and headed off to see the ...

... Firstly, an argument between the driver and a passenger led to the bus pulling over and the police intervening. The coach itself was amazing, containing a widescreen television with surround sound that showed Air Force One in Spanish (a film where sound doesn´t seem to enhance the plot). The views on the way were astounding. We zoomed (and I mean ZOOOOOOMED.. the driver having to swerve at one point to avoid a head-on crash) through valleys, zig ...

I can't believe we've come to the end of our time working at La Hesperia. The past 5 weeks have just flown by!! Last weekend a group of us went to Otavalo for a couple of days to visit the craft markets there - a good spot for picking up some souvenirs. There's a really big indigenous population there, and apparently is the only place in Ecuador to have an indigenous Mayor. We also ...

... This is the craft center of Ecuador and the market is huge on market days, pretty much taking over the small town. I can see why so many people are attracted to Ecuador, but for me it still rates second to Guatemala. More importantly, I haven&#8217;t even been to Peru yet, so that&#8217;s the next stop.