Fortunately enough, my parents came to visit me for a couple of weeks because I had Spring Break so we decided to go to Mindo, Otavalo and Baños. Mindo was a small little town that is 2 hours North East of Quito. We went there for a couple of days and went zip lining through the jungle, rafting and I climbed down a waterfall. We also went to a little place in Quito to see how chocolate is made from scratch from cocoa. It was interesting to see how a bitter fruit turns into amazing brownies. This place also grew all of their own fruits and vegetables and made some great tasting food.
Next we went to a place called Otavalo which is about 1 1/2 hours North West of Quito. They are known for their large market of hand made goods and also there is a town next door called Cotocachi which is known for their beautiful but reasonably priced leather goods. Needless to say we shopped til we dropped. Both town are indigenous and there are some nearby lakes that make for some beautiful scenery. Cotocachi is fairly famous also for having a good amount of United States citizens living there after they retire because it is a relaxed environment and gorgeous as well. When we were staying in Otavalo we were staying in an old Hacienda which are known for having large amounts of land because they are owned by a single wealthy family. The place we stayed at was turned into a hotel 17 years ago and has some amazing grounds. I wanted to explore a little bit one morning so I took a horseback ride through the grounds as well as through local indigenous towns. The owner of the Hacienda is starting a school for the local indigenous children to teach them English and such and he needs volunteers so I am thinking about returning after I graduate and volunteering teaching English for a while.
Next, we went to Baños, which is about 3 hours South of Quito. My boyfriend drove this time and it was much more comfortable, but since it was a holiday weekend and everyone was going to be traveling we left at 5 AM to go there and beat the traffic but when we were about 5 miles outside of Baños there was stand-still traffic and we didn't get to the hotel until 12 in the afternoon...It was a great bonding experience haha. Anyway, we stayed at a beautiful hotel called Luna Run Tun that is situated on the side of a local active volcano and about 4 miles above the town so we had some amazing views from our rooms. When we arrived we also learned that the president would be staying there the same weekend. We were a little nervous that there were going to be a bunch of guards everywhere and it might make the experience uncomfortable but it was the opposite! There were barely any guards anywhere and we spent a lot of time talking with the president and his family. They were very nice and sociable. My dad really talked up a storm and became friends with him, so we got invited to go to the presidential palace the next day to see where he lives and he also gifted us a couple bottles of Ecuadorian wine. It was very special to see the palace; something I will never forget.
