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Published: August 15th 2010
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One of the "hitchhikers" and her baby
This was one of the ladies we picked up in Ibarra. They sange for us and then moved around the bus selling hand made scarves for $3 a piece The plan for today was to leave Ibarra around 8:30 and head back to Quito to the same hacienda where we had stayed the first night. Along the way Fernando had planned a route that would take us to several small towns and villages that were considered "must-see" sites in Ecuador.
We picked up two indigenous women who were looking for a ride to Otavalo and they promised to sing for us. One of the women had a baby strapped to her back, which everyone on the bus wanted a picture of.
Our first stop was a little town that was known for hand crafted wood products. The bus pulled up next to a small store that had a window full of hand carved chess sets. I went and found that the majority of items were hand carved religious artifacts. I bought two hand carved rosaries, a small box that said "Ecuador" on it, a very detailed hand carved skull, and a 3 piece nativity set for a total of $20. As soon as I entered the store the owner asked if I was "Americano" and said I would get a special rate on whatever I wanted to buy.
I'm not sure if I got any special rates but considering the quality of the items I bought I didn't complain. I did notice that almost everyone sold these little chess sets but this was the only place where I saw the ones that were made out of wood. At the Otavalo Market almost every table had little ceramic sets and the pieces were made to look like either Conquistadors or Indigenous people. I bought one of these at Otavalo.
On to Otavalo.....
Apparently this market is on the list of the 100 Places you Must See Before You Die, and I understand why. The market is actually a maze of little stands that are draped with colorful hand made clothing, hand crafted jewelry, food, paintings, and chess sets. As you walk from the street into the market you are surrounded by bright colors and people calling you over to sell you whatever they have. Before we got off the bus Fernando told us that the sellers expect ot bargain so don't pay the initial price. As soon as I entered the market I found myself buying one of the chess sets. At first the price for a
large set was $20 and a small one was $12. After some haggling we settled on $8 for the large set. As soon as I left this table a man approached me carrying an armful of leather belts: $15. After some bartering I got him down to $7 and he even fitted it for me right there on the spot. From that point on I decided to move quickly past the tables so I could get through the entire market with some cash left over.
There were a few things I couldn't resist, however. One was a shirt with an image of the Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara. I figured it wouldn't be right to visit a Latin American country and NOT bring back something with his image on it.
I finally made it to the end of the market and was looking at some hand carved necklaces. The asking price was $15 for a large and $10 for a small. I was trying to get 2 large ones for $10 but for some reason the guy wasn't having it. All of a sudden I hear a distinctly American voice with a slight southern drawl say "He says
Fitting my belt
This guy was selling me a belt and was sizing it right there on the spot. it's $8 for a large." I settled up and walked around the table to see an American sitting there wearing a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. I snapped his picture and found out that he had become disenfranchised with America about 2 years earlier and had bought a place up in the hills. He told me he was growing his own weed and selling stuff at the market to get by. He looked like the kind of guy who probably worked with the CIA during the 1980's and was now living "off the grid." He cussed like a sailor but at least he helped me get a good deal on a necklace.
From Otavalo we moved through the Guayllabamba Valley towards the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve. Basically, we were driving towards a trail that we could take to a perfect blue volcano lake. Everywhere we went in Ecuador we were always in view of a volcano. It was only fitting that we should climb one. We got off the bus after driving through numerous indigenous neighborhoods and began a steep ascent along a brick road. Once we got to the summit, after about a 10 minute walk, we were
The Ex Pat at the Otavalo Market
The guy in this picture was the American who had uprooted himself and moved to Ecuador standing level with a volcano lake with the actual volcano in the background. From there we walked to the otherside and we found ourselves looking down into the valley where we had spent the day so far. I'm not sure what the altitude was but it was nice and cool.
After spending about 30 minutes at the volcano we headed back down the mountain into the town of Cotacachi, a very colorful town known for its leatherworks. As soon as we got off the bus we were hit with the smell of leather. I was glad we got off because the town was very colorful and I was anxious to get some pictures of the streets and buildings. After spending a few minutes in the town square (where I bought a wallet with Che Guevara's image...which I thought was an ironic keepsake considering Guevara was a communist and against the accumulation of money) I decided to take off and explore the town on my own. I walked around a block and there was a little bakery that had fresh apple turnovers and some kind of eclair in the window. I bought a few and kept on until I got
back to the main square. We ate lunch at a little restaurant where we had a shrimp dish that was served with popcorn and fresh nuts, which you were supposed to add to the shrimp soup. As everything we had tried in Ecuador, this was some amazing food.
After lunch we had a 2 hour drive back into Quito. Fernando had wanted to make it back by 4:30 in order to beat rush hour but we ended up pulling into the hacienda around 6:30. I was glad because I got to see what rush hour looked like in Quito. It is crowded but I don't think we ever ran into any serious delays.
After getting back to the hacienda, we decided to walk around the corner and eat at Papa Johns for dinner. Yes, there is a Papa Johns in the middle of Quito, Ecuador. That night we sat around drinking our final rounds of Pilsener beer and talking about the trip. Dwayne and I had to be up at 3:30 am in order to make it to the airport no later that 4:30 to catch our 6:30 flight. We got up and were at the front desk
at 3:45 but could not find anyone to let us out. In these hacienda's, there are two doors: One inside and a gate like door that covers the front of the building. We were looking around and I opened a door to see if anyone was in there. I looked down and there was a guy sleeping in what looked like a closet. Apparently he was the front desk guy because I didn't have to say anything. he got up and opened the front doors for us. Dwayne and I made sure he didn't lock back up until our bus got there but about thjat time we could hear the engine coming. Paul was pulling up at 4:00 am on the dot.
As we drove to the airport we finally found out why nobody seems to pay attention to red lights in Quito. Paul said that during the day running a red light can resullt in a $120 fine. But at night the police have told people to run the lights so they aren't vulnerable to being robbed while stopped. Finally, an answer about the driving habits in Quito.
As we pulled up Paul told us that as
soon as we were all delivered to the airport he and Fernando were taking another tour group into the jungles for 21 days. Paul led us into the airport and said he hoped we enjoyed his country before saying goodbye. He and Fernando were top notch people and everyone they introduced us to were high caliber.
After a muggy arrival and 5 hour wait in Miami (yet another reason to not like Florida) we finally landed in Kansas City around 9:00. We were greeted with 100 degree temperatures, a far cry from the 35 F temps we had left behind in Quito at 6:30 that morning.
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mom
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stupendous, fabulous, the best blog
I couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. Now I'll go back and reread it again and again. Your pictures are so good, too......quite professional!