Otavalo: Part II

Some woke up early Saturday morning to get the best prices at the market, but Anyel and I had been up talking until the wee hours, so we rose around 7:30. After showers, breakfast, and re-telling some of the previous night's hilarity, we walked a few blocks to the market, already hoppin'. There were hundreds of kiosks and tables set up, adorned with beautiful, bright colors--sweaters, ponchos, jewelry, paintings, pottery, shawls, hammocks, you name it. It was like Boise's Art In The Park, only stuffed into the narrow, antique streets of Otavalo. We spoke a whole lot of spanish, paid about half of the asking prices, and left feeling very satisfied with our visit. The people were very, very friendly, and there was a totally different feel than we get in Quito. No whistling as we walked by, a much slower pace of life, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I'd like to go back, just to walk around and talk to people without the temptation to purchase anything.

We returned to the hotel to pack, jumped on the bus at 12:30, and headed to Cotacachi for lunch and perousal of the countless leather stores that put this town on the map. I was on a hunt for cowgirl boots, but didn't find anything without a 4-inch heel. Still, pretty cool to see the countless ways to use leather. There were some beautiful shawls and ponchos with squares of leather woven into the knitting/crocheting. Neato. We ate lunch in the plaza of a gorgeous hostal with live music, and then drove another half hour to enjoy a wet boat ride in crater lake. It was raining and windy, and I had flashbacks to rainy afternoons at camp driving tubers in the whitecaps, soaked by the waves which crash over the window. Wet and cool, but cool. We got free agua de canela, which is like cinnamon and sugar water, and then boarded the bus to drive back to Quito.

Our final stop was in Cayambe for Ecuadorian biscotti and coffee. Delish. We met our host families in Quito at 8, and I crashed soon after. GREAT weekend. I have pictures up on my photobucket site under OTAVALO TRIP.