Otavalo

Becca

A lifetime of dreams caught here

We crossed the border into Ecuador without any problems, then hopped on a bus to our first destination, Otavalo. By the time we got there it was really late and we were exhausted from a long day of traveling so we just passed out. In the morning we went to check out the primary attraction in Otavalo, an outdoor market (supposively the best in Ecuador.) We weren´t sure what to expect because we had heard it was best on a Saturday, but it actually turned out to be a good day to go because there were no tourists around and we had the market to ourself. The market is very colorful - tons of the famous Ecuadorean fabrics, sweaters, bags, jewelery, hand-carved objects..... I wanted everything. I settled on a big thick sweater (yea, its freezing lately), a scarf, and a necklace - all of it pretty cheap and unique. It was also interesting to see the Indigenous folk that run the market - all of them decked out in their ponchos, hats, long ponytails - and I swear, every woman had a little baby slung to her back with a piece of fabric (like a sarong) Soo cute!! After browsing through all the stands once or twice we grabbed some lunch and then got on a bus yet again to our next desitination - Quito.

Welcome to Ecuador

Asaf

There much else to add to such a short visit and Becca summed it up pretty well.  I didn´t spend as much as her because the main thing being sold is jewlery and then woven clothes but I wasn´t interested in getting either one at this time.  There were a lot of other really cool things but it´s impossible to buy larger things because of the space and weight of our bag.  It´s not the first time we had to overlook things because of our backpacker ways so Im not too dissapointed...besides its much more economico! See you in Quito.

Alpaca Sweaters Galore

Colorful Outdoor Market

Just a Medium Sized Pipe