Let's Shop!

---

Well, my friends, Wednesday morning I got off my lazy butt and made my way to Otavalo to spend my final days in Ecuador. I'm glad I did. Otavalo is a small indigenous town smaller than Cuenca but much larger than Vilcabamba. It is well known for its artisan markets. On Saturdays, it is so large, tourist come by the busload to buy stuff. I certainly took advantage of it as up until now, I had bought nothing except a new camera and a pair of uber cute jeans that I needed to stay warm but trashed in Vilcabamba horseback riding.

They also offer horseback riding in Otavalo. I arrived in town on Wednesday and found Zulaytur tours run by Rodrigo Mora to get some last rides in before returning to the States. Unfortunately, the rain seems to follow me and he warned me that I might not be able to go. If not, he could offer another tour of some pueblos where we could visit the artisans in their homes and workshops and learn how they make some of the crafts. I signed up hoping for good weather.

The weather, fortunately, did not cooperate. Thursday, I was unable to ride, but, the pueblo tour was incredibly fascinating! And, for once, I'm glad I wasn't riding! Rodrigo was a wonderful guide who spoke very clear and easy Spanish for me. We went to five little pueblos: Punyaro (mini baskets), Carabuela(sweaters), San Roque (textiles, blankets, ponchos) and Cerotal (felt hats). It was fascinating to see how these people live and work. Rodrigo also provided some interesting information regarding their history and culture.

The indigenous lifestyle thrives in this area due to the fertile soil which allows them to grow and trade food and their strong sense of community.

In the Otavalo area, the indigenous population is in the majority and is growing. This is due to the fact they marry young (13-15 years old) and get very little education so they have 8, 10 or more children in each family. Marriages are arranged, sometimes between relatives, making incest a problem leading to deformities and mental illness. However, there is a strong sense of community. When a couple marries, the entire village helps them build a house. If someone is sick, all contribute for medical care.

The girls wear traditional dress from the start - colorful embroidered blouses and wraps. However, boys wear western clothing until they are 25-30 years old. Then they switch to traditional clothes.

The tour itself was amazing and really puts things in perspective as I went to Pancho Plaza, the main artisan market in town on Friday. It made it difficult to bargain for stuff that is already ridiculously cheap knowing the time and labor and effort these people put into their work. There was so many beautiful things, I bought a lot of gifts for friends and family!

I also met up with some other travelers, LeAnne from Colorado and a couple from Spain and Switzerland. Friday afternoon, we went to another town, Cotacachi, famous for it's leather crafts. Beautiful things there as well. I bought an incredible leather bag to carry back all my souvenirs in!

On Friday night, my last night in Ecuador, I didn't know what to do. Meet up with William, an Ecuadorian I met who encouraged me to stay through Friday to go Salsa dancing with him or hang out with my new friends LeAnne and Morgan, another traveler from the States, for dinner. For once, I opted for dinner with the girls. I think I had my fill of salseros, artists and cowbows! I shared the last of my premium chocolates with them for dessert and we went to another bar to listen to some traditional flute music. Afterwards, LeAnne and I with our newest friend, Luis, found a salsa bar and people dancing, but, no one that knows my style of salsa. It's pretty basic stuff here. The Sacramento salsa scene never looked so good!

Saturday morning, I awoke early to meet Morgan at 7am to go to the famous Otavalo animal market. While waiting, I watched as even more vendors come from all over to setup for the Saturday artisan market. I thought Pancho Plaza was big. Now, it spills over into surrounding streets that have been closed to make room for even more vendors! I'm glad I came early to avoid the inevitable crowds!

Morgan showed up and we headed for the animal market. It was quite the scene. People from all over the region bring their pigs, goats, cows and horses to sell and trade. It was difficult not to want to buy some of the babies -- they were really cute!

After an hour, we return to town and say our goodbyes. I have to get my bags and return to Quito to catch my flight home.

I met up with LeAnne who also needs to go to Quito to make her connection to another town where she will be teaching English. We shared a cab to Quito and said goodbye.

My journey is ending. It's time to return. I'm out of chocolates and cream rinse for my hair. On the flight back to the States, I think about my trip. It has been successful in that I do know a little more Spanish and I've met some great new friends. But, I was hoping to have some insight into what I wanted to do when I grow up. That, unfortunately, still hasn't come!

I prepared myself for the eventual experience of returning to the States. Yes, there will be good coffee, chocolate, toilets where I can flush the toilet paper! But, I know I will also be overwhelmed by the traffic, cities, highways, contamination, and the amount of choices we have. It will take me 30 minutes to figure out what kind of cream rinse to buy because the selection will take up an entire isle in the store! But, with time, I'm sure I will assimilate. Or will I? I'll let you know in a week or so!

LuAnne

---

Photos

Otavalo
Park in Otavalo

Cotacachi
Park in Cotacachi

Punyaro Woman
Indigenous woman preparing a meal.

Man Making Mini Baskets
This man made nesting mini baskets. I watched him make this one from scratch in about 15 minutes.

Punyaro Mini Baskets
The finished Mini Basket product

Brushing Wool
Yes, they put tourist to work, too! Here I am with a San Roque woman brushing wool to ready it for spinning!

Spinning Wool
The next step is to spin the wool.

Knitting Sweaters
The last steps in the process are to dye and knit the sweaters.

Wool Sweaters
The final product - yes, this family has knitted all these sweaters!

Sisal Bags
The next stop was a sweatshop of sorts where fibers from the sisal plant were made into bags for grains. This is a multi-step process. Here, a man is weaving the spun fibers to make the bags.

Ponchos
This man made ponchos. A very long, physical and tedious process that takes one month to make one poncho. He gets about $70 for the finished product.

Blankets
This adorable couple spoke only Quechua and made blankets. We communicated to them through hand signals!

Tapestry
A man making a tapestry. This system involved a lot of hand, eye and foot coordination. I tried it. It isn't my calling!

Pig Pen
Baby pigs at the animal market!

Comments

[Eric]

Cream rinse
Well, look at it a different way. Down there you had choices between thousands of different kinds of textiles, and looks like you had lots of choices between the kinds of pigs you might want to buy....

[Jim Luckett]

Yes! Rodrigo Mora is a terrific guide!
Everyone needs to know about Rodrigo! We too used him to guide us through the Indian craft towns and it was so interesting and he's so much fun to be with. Here is his website: http://www.geocities.com/zulaytur/ Don't be fooled by competitors who have adopted similar sounding names like "Zulaytourist" or some such nonsense. They are just trying to ride on his coattails because so many guidebooks recommend only Zulaytur. There is one at the same intersection as his office with a "Zulay" name. Not the same at all.