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After all of the usual formalities at the border I was legally allowed into Ecuador and along with 4 others was on a bus heading for a smallish town 2 hours north of Ecuadorian capital. Otavalo is famed for its ever day market, but attracts the most tourists and is biggest on a Saturday, when residents from the surrounding areas come to trade their wares, ranging from kittens, guinea pigs and cows in the animal section, fresh fruit and vegetables in the food section, various Andean jumpers, gloves and socks, as well as the usual market tat that serve as rubbish present for friends and family back home.
After 15 hours of travelling from Popayan in Colombia, we finally arrived in Otavalo and were dropped in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Luckily we had bumped into an American who was teaching in the area and she showed us where a couple of hostels were located. I was with a South African, Jason, who I had bumped into the night before and then randomly bumped into at the bus station in Pasto which is a couple of hours from the border. It was 21:30 and our options were
limited - to say the least - so we opted to stay at the first place we were shown, which had 2 double beds and a toilet - far from luxury but good enough for a night. We went to the pub for a couple of beers before returning to our room, only to find the key didn’t work. Instead of locating a spare, an indigenous looking chap from the room next door, appeared in a vest and a pair of pants to find out what the fuss was. He tried the lock himself, only to have the same trouble as us and then proceeded to go back into his room and produce a knife from one of his drawers, which he promptly used to jimmy the lock. The door was finally open and we were into the room, however Jason and I both agreed it was probably a good idea to sleep with one eye open tonight!
We checked out early the next morning and moved into the Rose Cottage hostel. It was 3km out of town, towards lake Mojonda. On arrival we were greeted by Sophie, who was running the place alongside her boyfriend Richard, whose parents
own the hostel - his mother is Ecuadorian and his father English. They were both only 22 but already had the right balance of professionalism and friendliness - nothing was ever a problem and they were forever asking if everything was alright, however still found time to sit down to dinner with us and entertain us in the evening. They were really friendly and accommodating and it was more like going to a good friends for dinner than actually staying in a hostel. They really made the stay a welcome visit and I completely recommend this place, which has only been open a year and not yet features in the Lonely Planet. Everything about it is set up perfectly and is without doubt the best hostel I have stayed in so far, set upon a hill overlooking Otavalo, in a setting that I would find hard to get bored of. It is a relaxing little place, with plenty of space to escape for a few moments by yourself. The dorm has been converted from the family home and has an amazing lounge/TV area dedicated to the traveller and extremely comfortable beds - it really was a home away from home.
After checking in and having breakfast, we decided to go for a ’trek’ to a high point overlooking lake Majonda, which has formed in the crater of a dormant volcano! Sophie organised for her neighbour to take us, so Jason and I paid US$25 for the guided tour and return trip, which lasted in total about 4 hours. The walk wasn’t overly difficult, which surprised me considering the altitude, which at 4,300 metres was the highest I think I have been this trip so far. It was quite overcast and cloudy so the photos probably do not do the views justice, but it was a simply beautiful place, very peaceful and very satisfying. The walk down was less stressful, but I still managed to do a bit of surfing on my backside thanks to the wet ground underfoot. We got back, showered, and then watched both series of The Inbetweeners, which if you haven’t seen it, you must - hilarious! That night Sophie and Richard cooked a tasty curry and joined us for dinner as we were the only 2 guests. We got to learn a lot about them and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
After a relatively
early night we got up early on the Saturday so that we could make the most of the market, which gets underway from 06:00. At 07:30 Jason and I were dropped off in the part of town where the animals are traded - a very obvious place which could be found using smell alone, let alone sight! It was extremely interesting to see the different sorts of animals being bought and sold, from boxes of little chicks, to cute kittens and puppies, through to sheep, goats and cows. It didn’t look as though the animals were treated poorly at all and I imagine it is how animals were traded in the UK until quite recently. From there we went to the food market, where the vibrant colours of the fresh fruit and vegetables really stood out against the white washed buildings. Traders were selling mini roast pork dinners from sandwich bags, pulling the meat directly off the freshly spit roasted pig, which had been placed on the counter, in full view of the punter. It was a novel way to eat a meal, but the meat just had to be tried! The rest of the market leads on from here
and I was staggered at the number of stalls selling near enough the same things, from arts and crafts to hats, socks and jumpers. The temperature had certainly dropped in the late afternoon and evening, so I treated myself to a rather traditional Andean jumper, paying $11 for the privilege. I’m not sure how much use I’ll get from it back home, but I look pretty sweet at the moment. I also picked up a very stylish beanie hat for $2 and that will definitely be sported back in Blighty! We decided we had done enough walking and market browsing for one day and decided to go for a coffee, only to find out it was only 09:30! We still had the rest of the day, but I decided to treat myself to some relaxation time and caught up on my blog from the lookout point back at the hostel. It rained in the afternoon anyway so I didn’t feel too guilty and killed time watching a movie and drinking a bottle of wine.
That night we were joined by 3 American girls who were studying in the area and Chloe and Bodge who I keep bumping into. We
had another tasty dinner and was again joined by Richard and Sophie., who also introduced us to a charade style game called ware wolfs and citizens (or something similar to that), which usually wouldn’t really float my boat, but was an entertaining game that got the group integrated and generated a lot of laughter.
We left early the next morning for Quito and I was quite disappointed to be going so soon. Otavalo had turned out to be a real surprise for me and I thoroughly recommend it, especially to break up the journey from Colombia. The Rose Cottage was a delightful place to stay and I wish I had spent a couple more nights there, even if it was just to get to know Richard and Sophie better, who were the perfect hosts. Aside from the market, there are a number of walks to partake in, and I think it serves as a great place to get off the tourist trail slightly (didn’t appear that many tourists stopped here) and relax for a few days.
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