Otavalo...an Ecuadorian market town

After a few days in Cuenca we flew back to Quito, only a short flight and were met by private transfer and then on to Cayambe.

Happy to be on the move again...

We spent the night at the Hacienda Guachala which was once known as the most important hacienda in Ecuador occupying nearly  30,000 acres with 469 employees. The conquering Spaniards were given land and workers as a reward and these haciendas were in the same families for generations. They were known as hard places of manual labour where the indigious people were treated no better than slaves.

This hacienda is still very much like it was hundreds of years ago...

The old stone walls that surround the church which was the religious centre of the surrounding communities.

The original chapel was built in 1580.

We also celebrated Nicole's birthday with a nice meal in front of the fireplace as it was quite cold and damp there that night.

The girls went for a horse ride in the morning...

And then we left for Otavalo, I personally was glad to leave as I did not have any good feelings about this place.

Otavalo is mostly an indigenous town located in a valley surrounded by three volcanoes...

We stayed there a couple of days to take in some of the sights round the area...

Beautiful waterfalls...

Volcanic lakes...

We took this boat ride around the lake to see the views and after we were given a hot toddy, Ecuadorian style to keep us warm.

We also got a chance to visit Cotopaxi, a nearby town that specializes in leather production.

There were streets of leather stores featuring goods of all kinds but the best thing we saw was a parade that featured the school children of the town celebrating the music and dance in their schools. It was so colourful...

There was even a queen and her attendant throwing out roses!
These spontaneous events are always the best way to get a glimpse into the culture of a place!

Otavalo was another lovely town to spend a few days...

The town square, a great place to people watch...

Free concerts in the park...

People going about their day.

The town was also quite pretty at night...

Otavalo has the largest indigenous market in Latin America and it is held every Saturday so the town was abuzz with people!

There was the produce market...

Lots of food stalls, don't know what Don thinks of that dish!

There was also salt fish...

Fresh chickens...

Sellers of all kinds, I loved this woman's braids and the gold necklaces which many of the woman wear here.

Women in traditional clothes selling their produce, again notice the red beads.

Everywhere there is colour....

And of course there is always bargaining...how much will Vicky spend on these sunglasses?

Or Don for this belt? This guy followed Don all around the market but Don got a good price!

Some of the women wear this type of headgear.

There was so much to see at this market but only so much time as we left at noon for the last bus ride back to Quito. We went out together one last time to say our goodbyes...

Our little group...Ivan, our guide, Vicky, Nicole, Katie, Helen and us.

We thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip to Ecuador and felt very privileged to be in the company of these four lovely young women and our capable guide. Thanks to all of them for such a wonderful time in Ecuador!