This past weekend I went to a town called Otavalo, situated about 2 hours south of Quito. This town of Otavalo is famous for its HUGE outdoor market that sells all types of hand made goods. Since the town of Otavalo is mostly indigenous, there are a lot of indigenous goods at the market (blankets, artwork, sweaters, jewelry, etc.) I wanted to buy a few gifts for my friends there but was so overwhelmed that I am going to go back in about a month and spend a whole day there figuring all of that out.
On the way to Otavalo we stopped at a little store for some coffee and cake and a great view of the surrounding volcanoes and mountains. At this place there where some sheep and a few indigenous women who sang in Quechua (their native language) to my group. It was absolutely incredible to see.
After Otavalo we went to a nearby city that is named Cotocachi, it is famous for its highly discounted and beautiful leather goods. My friend bought a pari of beautiful leather boots for only $70! It was a nice change of pace after the insane stop in Otavalo. After Cotocachi we were on our way to hike up to a nearby waterfall but first stopped to see a local indigenous musician make all sorts of instruments and play a little music as well. It was absolutely amazing!
What a beautiful trip.
