Otavalo
Day 242 Sat 30/4 Otavalo
Otavalo is a small village in the north of Ecuador famous for its market. Saturday draws people from the surrounding towns and bus loads of tourists for a crowded, bustling experience. Streets lined with stalls that seemed to sell everything! There even was an animal market a km or so outside the city centre. I decided to give that a wide berth since that is not my cup of tea.
I got there Friday night and stayed in a lovely hostel outside the village. It offered some lovely views, but was quite inconvenient as it is situated about 3 km from the town. I decided to move to a hotel in the town to facilitate leaving town early in the morning Sunday to the border & Colombia. I am glad I did, as the owner of Otavalo was one of the friendliest, helpful folks I met in Ecuador. He drove me in his car Sunday morning to the bus stop and waited till I got on the bus. I had been complaining about how unfriendly Ecuadorians seemed to be, but Roberto seemed intent on making me eat my words!
Tags: Travel
Damu