Off to Otavalo

Trip Start Jan 07, 2010
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15
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Trip End Jan 28, 2010


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Where I stayed
Casa Sol, Otavalo

Flag of Ecuador  , Imbabura,
Friday, January 22, 2010

We took the Metro Bus to the intercity bus station; at least that was the intention. Destined for Otavalo (a town about two hours north east of Quito which hosts the most famous animal and textile market in Ecuador), we were headed in the right direction but I think we got off too early.  A very polite security guard led us back through the one way gates and told us to get back on the bus.  We then came to a bus station and got on the bus to Otavalo.  It is tricky when the only word we could use was "Otavalo"

Ironically, as the bus sped through the mountainous countryside, a video monitor allowed us to watch a movie of mountainous high speed car chases.  Both were equally hair-raising.  In Otavalo, we took a taxi to our hotel, Casa Sol, Otavalo.  We were so pleased with Casa Sol in Quito that we didn't hesitate to reserve here.  But the Casa Sol Otavalo was out of town and on a steep hillside. 
Hotel room at Casa Sol, Otavalo
Hotel room at Casa Sol, Otavalo
The grass growing out of the spaces between the cobblestones caused the tires to spin and I thought we might have to walk the last bit.

Casa Sol Otavalo is a gorgeous hotel with a stunning view.  The hotel taught me to appreciate curved walls and furniture are just as practical as square straight sided ones.  The staff was gracious and helpful.  We decided to walk to town, a three kilometre walk, and enjoyed the sights along the way.  Women, waist deep in the irrigation channel were washing their clothes and making use of a concrete wall as a scrubbing board.  Another family was doing their washing in a stream and laying the clothing out on the grass to dry.  If you consider the way we do our washing in North America, it was a lot more environmentally friendly and less expensive.

We found the famous textile market but we hesitated because the big market day was tomorrow, Saturday, so other than get a feel for the prices, we didn’t buy much.

Especially because of the long bus trip, we decided to walk partway back to the hotel and then stand at a designated bus stop.  Perhaps we looked too foreign or we were at the wrong company’s stop because three busses just drove past without stopping so we flagged down a taxi.  This time, the taxi couldn’t make the hill so we walked the last hundred feet.

That night the hotel chef cooked and served us one of our best meals ever in Ecuador consisting of an alcoholic cane juice, quinoa soup, pork chops, veggies, and yuca.  Since we were the only guests at the time, we had the cook’s full attention.

We went to bed with the excitement of a full day of shopping to look forward to (well, at least Rosamund did anyway).
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