3 months around South America starts in Quito, capital of Ecuador. Sitting at an altitude of 2,850 m (9,350 ft) under the gaze of Volcano Pichincha, it is long and incredibly thin. The city winds its way down a valley that eventually drops down to the Amazon Basin and is over looked by an enormous statue of the Virgin of Quito. Outside Quito, in Otavalo, can be found one of the most important Indian markets in Ecuador. Villagers from the surrounding countryside descend on the town once a week to sell everything from handmade goods to livestock, fruit and vegetables. Quito is also near the Equator and visiting “The Centre of the World” proved interesting - gravity being less here it is possible to balance an egg on a nail! From Quito the group travel to
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