Otavalo Market

Day 3 (Saturday) in Ecuador had us head to the famous market in Otavalo, a 2 - 3 hour bus ride north of Quito. It is at its best on Saturdays so we decided to go right away. We debated renting a taxi vs riding a bus and in the end came down on the more adventurous bus route. (Against JM’s recommendations, but supported by Paul and Clark’s experience, sorry JM.)

We took a taxi from our hostel to the main bus station in Quito. Our taxi driver dropped us off very near the station, but not exactly inside it. He did so in front of a bus that he then directed us onto. The bus didn’t say Otavalo, but the bus driver did say Si when asked if it went to Otavalo. (Our very limited spanish is a handicap and we are working on that.) We proceeded onto the bus, which from the boys perspective was very attractive due to a very prominent TV that was in the front and on. From Kelli’s perspective she was not at all at ease, considering that Otavalo was not listed on the bus and the Lonely Planet guide specifically referenced one bus line. So, in the end we departed the bus and walked across the street, entered the bus station and proceeded to the information counter in search of the Otavalo/Lagos bus line. They were very helpful and a Security guard then escorted us down to the proper window to purchase our tickets. (We must have looked a bit helpless to get that level of service)

We were then escorted by a bus line employee through the turnstile, where the kids went under and Kelli and I each paid a mere $0.20 exit tax. The bus was nearly empty as we boarded and upon inventorying the seats a bit, Jack, Eliot and Ainsley all took single seats up front very near the driver. (See the pictures below) They really had catbird seats from which to view the scenery and Jack was next to an open window which provided a fresh breeze and a good view of things to ward of his typical motion sickness. Even though we are doing our best to use the bathroom at the Hostal or whenever we have the opportunity, Kelli and Ainsley needed a quick stop upon boarding the bus. They quickly exited and went to the bathroom. They paid the $0.05 each for using it, replete with what is probably typical, no toilet paper and no toilet seat. (GG would not survive down here!) They did their business quickly, but not fast enough to prevent the driver from starting to go backwards in preparation for leaving the station. I reiterated that they were coming, as best as I could, and Eliot then began to get a bit scared. Sure enough he waited and K & A hopped on the bus as he continued his rearward movement.

So with that bit of drama, we were off. I’d like to say we were off with some speed, but there was nothing fast about exiting Quito, which seemed to go on for miles and miles, and the traffic was thick and slow the entire way. After what must have been at least 45 minutes we left Quito and started traveling on the Pan-American highway where the scenery quickly changed for the better. The views of the mountains and deep canyons with rivers were excellent, punctuated at fairly regular intervals by the bus driver passing slower vehicles. Yes, as we read in many places, they pass on corners and anywhere they can, all on two lane roads. All in all though, it felt very safe. The kids were great on the 2+ hour ride, soaking in the scenery and probably helped by being separated from their parents by other riders.

We arrived in Otavalo at a bit past Noon and proceeded toward the market. Walking down the streets of a foreign city, with anticipation about the markets building for Kelli and me, what was uttered but, “look it’s Indiana Jones!” Eliot had spotted a DVD in one of the numerous video stores right at his eye level. We were then required to stop and look at it for a moment. After continuing on a bit, it became clear that food was needed and we stopped to have our first pizza in South America. (This was where a sloppy hand off resulted in a dropped and subsequently damaged brand new camera. Our first major unplanned expense!)

The market itself was amazing in so many ways - size, scope, colors, noises, smells, etc. With all of the wares available we acted with great restraint, daunted by the thought of carrying things or shipping them all home. As attractive as things are we are holding back on accumulating anything else at the moment. Even thought the camera was damaged we managed to get it to work somewhat and took a number of pictures of the market.

The return bus home greeted us with a bus version that did not have the front seats, much to Jack’s dismay. So, we were relegated to the usual two across seats. This bus ended up carrying far more passengers, many of them prepared to stand for the entire 2+ hour trip. This included elderly women, women with small children, etc. Eliot and Ainsley were seated next to each other and somewhere along the way gained a seat mate in the form of a 2 or 3 year old girl who proceeded to fall asleep on Ainsley’s shoulder. Ainsley seemed quite happy to provide some comfort for her along the way.

The views on the way home were a little clearer and we had a fine view of the volcano co-located with Otavalo (I need to look it up and will add the name later). Seeing all of this natural beauty had us yearning to leave the city confines of Quito and get out in the Andes.

I’m catching up on this posting at a spanish language school in Cuenca. The kids started this afternoon and Kelli and I start tomorrow morning. We narrowly missed losing our 3rd hat after Ainsley left it on the Quito - Cuenca flight. The airline found it and we picked it up at the airport the following day.

More about our last day (Sunday) in Quito and arrival in Cuenca soon. Here are the Otavalo pictures.