Our travel agent suggested visiting a market 2 hours north of Quito during our full free day in Ecuador, and truth be told, we both hesitated. We were unsure that we wanted to spend an entire day shopping, however, by the end of the day, we were completely satisfied and felt we had really gotten at least a small taste for life in Ecuador.Our driver and tour guide picked us up at 8:30am, and we set off for the market in the Imbabura province. Having a tour guide along really made a difference in my mind, because he told us about the cities we passed along the way, about Ecuador’s economy and a little bit of history. This made the trip more than just a shopping trip.
We raced through the streets of Quito, and Byron made frequent use of his horn. We headed down out of the city toward Otavalo, at only 7,700 feet we thought we would get some relief from our altitude sickness. (We did! Bonus!) Unfortunately, on our way to the market, we were stopped for about 45 minutes because a bicycle tour (Tour de Ecuador) was racing through the valley and traffic had been halted. Note all the people standing outside buses, it was quite interesting, and soon, men, women, and children were walking up and down the stopped buses and cars to sell bottled water and cloths, etc. After the delay we set off for Otavalo, stopping by a wayside station to use the bathroom (the most beautiful bathroom I had ever seen, nestled into the side of a mountain and looking out over the valley. (.25 cents, a bargain! TP included.) From there we went to a village where a woman showed us how she and her family weave the cloths and tapestries they sell. We bought an incredible tapestry for $12.
Finally, we made it to Otavalo. We were immediately impressed by the vast quantity of goods available. Block after block! We walked all the way down one side and started back the other, and began to pick up a few items. Santiago, our guide, helped us bargain, and we were very satisfied with all of our purchases.
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From there, we went to a Hacienda, where we had a delicious traditional lunch. By this point, we were tired, and so it felt good to sit in the car and rest for a little while as we headed back to Quito. First though, we stopped by an Equatorial Monument, not the official one, but good enough for us.
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We also stopped by a village where women make bread figurines--pretty, but not overly exciting. As we ascended back up to Quito, my husband’s headache returned. He went straight to bed, and I had a chance to reflect on our wonderful day and to attempt to pack all the gifts we bought in Otavalo into our luggage!