Otavalo - Saturday market

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So, basically, after spending days sorting out payment for our Galapagos cruise, it is Friday 10am and we have until Sunday morning before the flight to Galapagos. By then, we can't wait to leave Quito and see some more Ecuador but where to?

Obvious answer: Saturday is market day in Otavalo. And it happens to be the largest artisanal market of South America!

So, here we are getting on a taxi from our hotel with just a day backpack to the bus station to catch a bus there. Only, the taxi driver after asking us where we are off too, instead of driving us to the bus station, drive past it (us quite worried that he is forcing on us a 2h ride to Otavalo directly in his taxi) and end up tail-gating a running bus ensuring us that it goes to Otavalo. Bus stops, driver shouts something and we climb up - here we are off to Otavalo. Quite worried we just jumped in a random bus!

A word on buses in Ecuador - the conductor hangs out of the bus window and shouts loudly and repeatedly, non-stop, the name of the destination trying to get people on. Pretty much for the whole journey! And obviously, the aim is to get the bus as packed as possible. Meaning that there are people standing in the aisle for the whole length sometimes standing for hours... these are mainly women (seems to be a recurring feature in Equador, but we are sure that behind every great woman is a good man!), somehow balancing with huge burdens!

The bus ride was quite chaotic but we made it and took a room on the last floor on the main square, Plaza de los Ponchos where the market is due to take place.

On this friday night, we went to a Peña: a traditional venue where live music is performed. Otavalo is a bit of a music spot in the Andes for its Inca influenced andean music. Martha was concerned about her pathological mistrust of pan-pipes. We spent an hour drinking horrid beer with lime in it, waiting. The band was late (like every country in the world) and very chilled! They joked for ages between them before starting, even diy-ing a guitar strap from their belts as one was missing. We wish we had photos (but none) as they were quite hilarious - especially "mini-man"' who was fairly short and played a mini guitar (eukalele type). They were quite good too and we enjoyed it. Quite embarrased that they kept shouting things about us - los turisticos - we always really stand out. Songs typically lasted about 10 min or so with about 5 min break between them. Eventually, after 1 hour, we bailed out! There is only so much pan pipe musica one can handle in any length of time...

During the night, we heard quite a lot of noise coming from the square... Opening the window in the morning was a real shock! Not a spare inch in the huge market place with everything from boiling caudrons of cow-hoof soup to hundreds of stalls selling cloths, jewellry, paintings, clothes. A sea of women with black shawls and gold beads and heaving at 7am! Tried to contain ourselves but have bought one or 2 things for which is has proven impossible to buy any packaging to send by post - nowhere sells boxes or tubes it seems, despite the post office racking their brains...!

Another rocky ride through the Andes on the Pan-American back to Quito with people getting on the bus at every opportunity - lights, junctions, stops, to sell their wares - normally about 5 people selling tangerines.

Got back to our haunt in Quito New Town and packed for early morning Galapagos flight - exciting! Post to come asap!

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Comments

[Christian&Kirsty]

Panpipes....
....are the brain child of the devil, conceived as a way to massacre any good tune ever written. Hope you bought a CD of the band! x