Day 2 - Saturday, March 11

Otavalo Market

We met our guide and driver at 8:30 am for a day of exploring the Otavalo Market. We drove through the city of Quito to make our way to the Pan-American Highway.

Outside Quito, the Highway runs between the East and West Ranges of the Andes Mountains – one side was desert-like, with century plants growing everywhere. The other side was lush and green, with small cornfields growing around houses and on hillsides.

This was a tourist stop to mark the line of the equator and to give us a chance to stand with one foot in each hemisphere. We took pictures of the monument, our guide took pictures of us, and we wondered if water really ran in opposite directions on either side of the line.

As we headed north, we saw Volcan Cayambe, a snow-capped 19,000-foot volcano – at its peak is a glacier that lies on the equator. We had a nice view of the Cayambe Valley, a relatively wealthy area with many farms.

We then went to the town of Cayambe, home of famous biscuits known as ‘bizcocchos.’ Our guide treated us to a local delicacy – so much for cautious food safety! The bizcocchos were delicious and we lived to talk about it.

By late morning, we arrived in Otavalo, considered one of the best Indian markets in all of Latin America. The market dates to pre-Inca times, when jungle products were brought from the eastern lowlands and traded for highland goods. The market has two different functions: the local market for buying and bartering animals, foods and other essentials and the craft market for visitors. We were too late in the day for buying animals, but there were plenty of other reasons to stop and stare.

We saw piles and piles of beautiful scarves and cloth made from alpaca yarn ...

... as well as as colorful beads worn by the native women.

We saw fascinating things to eat –

unidentifiable fruits and vegetables,

wonderful spices,

all sorts of grains,

and some interesting eating establishments.

Still, the best part of the market was the people-watching, especially the local folks in native dress.

Later, we stopped for lunch at Puerto Lago, on the shores of Laguna de San Pablo at the foot of Volcan Cayambe. The grounds were lush and beautifully landscaped – quite a contrast to most of the areas we visited. We had our first taste of Ecuadorian shrimp cerviche and followed that with a typical Otavalenos meal, including roast pork, plantain, hominy, mashed potato patties and salad.

We were back in Quito in time to visit the Indian market near our hotel. Here were many of the same things we saw in Otavalo, but in a much more subdued environment – more like a U.S. flea market, complete with t-shirts. We strolled through the market, the park and some local shops before a dinner of traditional Ecuadorian soup of corn and meat.