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Published: July 11th 2010
After leaving the jungle town Tena we hopped on a bus for an 8 hour trek to our next destination which happened to be a small mountain town north of Quito called Otavalo. Riding public buses in Latin America is a whole different kind of experience! We were never surprised by what came onto the bus... whether it be a puppy in a diaper, random unidentified animals in boxes with breathing holes in the top, or a salesman trying to sell a herbal powder to basically cure you from any ailment you could ever have. Beyond the random sales and passengers, the views swirling through the Andes were amazing!
When we arrived in Otavalo our bodies once again had to adapt to the super high altitude and change of climate. From the low humid jungle in Tena to now the wet, chilly mountain air once again. Our main reason for going to Otavalo was to see their famous open air artisan market. We had so much fun bargaining and seeing all the different items for sale. The vendors favorite line seemed to be - "Your Mom would like this!" Doubt our Moms would enjoy stone mask, but you never know....
The market was HUGE and we spent several hours taking it all in. Of course several purchases were made, but we were able to resist the hand-knit llama sweater. Even a 2nd grade teacher can't get away with wearing that! However they had beautiful scarves, alpaca blankets, hamocks, paintings and pottery. With a new house to fill, we were able to justify some purchases! 😊
After a few days in the city of Otavalo we retreated to the countryside outside of Otavalo and stayed way up in the mountain in a small little hostal. All that surrounded us was farms and mountains. Very remote and quiet. We were so excited because our room had a fireplace in it and despite trying for 45 minutes to start a fire, it didn't happen. We decided the dampness along with lack of oxygen from being so high in altitude made that task nearly impossible.\ Luckily our room also had an electric heater so we could stay warm. While up in the mountains of Otavalo we did a hike to a waterfall and also took a taxi up even higher to see a lake and hike around it. Otavalo was a nice retreat
and being in the Andes is such a beautiful backdrop!
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sheila
non-member comment
WOW
Such a treat to follow your journey. I want to be at the open air market and then the hostel, too! Thanks for sharing.