April 29, 2011 Otavalo Market

Awakening to the Adventures of Ecuador

Getting up in the morning at the Land of the Sun was always a little bit of an adventure. This morning, the water pressure was non-existent. The people there were always quick to respond to any problems and I think the auxiliary pump was checked again and within a short while, the water pressure was back with a vengeance! It nearly beat me to death!

Watermelon and Coconut Milk at Breakfast



Breakfast

The "juice" this morning was coconut milk. We had a slice of watermelon, toasted amaranth and yogurt and eggs and ham. I don't drink coffee, but someone sitting at the table was drinking coffee and when she opened the sugar bowl, I noticed that the sugar was brown. It wasn't brown sugar, though, it was just unbleached, natural sugar. I always had aromatica, the lemongrass tea, while others had their morning coffee. Breakfast, as usual, was a lovely experience. Eaten ouside and served with care.

The lady that served most of our meals was named Consuela. She looked quite young, but was probably a little older than she looked, I don't know. She served food and took care of everyone's needs with such a quiet grace about her. Everyone in our group noticed it and commented on it. She was wonderful and anticipated our needs and it was a pleasure to be served by her because she seemed to get such pleasure from serving us.

I learned that the indigenous people of Ecuador had their own language – it was actually spoken in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. It is called Quichua and there are many dialects. Most of the people also speak Spanish and some English as well.

Otavalo Market
The Spanish words for today, however, going to the Otavalo market, were "quanto questa?" How much? And "desquento, por favor" or Discount, please. The market people were bargainers and they, of course, wanted to get the best prices. The quality of the items seemed to be very good and there was a wide variety of items – everything from silver and beaded jewelry to embroidered items to sweaters and blankets and hats. The market was not overly busy, as we were there on a Friday, but we were told that it is usually a madhouse on Saturdays. We were also told there are pickpockets, unfortunately, and to keep our bags in front of us.

At Otavalo

On our way back from the market, there was a hailstorm, but we were in the bus and cozy by then. It's funny that when you're not in your usual environment, you are surprised by things that would happen in your usual environment – like hailstorms, for instance. It just kind of surprised us all that there was a hailstorm in Ecuador, I think. It was a lovely day and I think everyone was happy with their purchases.

Land of the Sun Inn

When we got back to the hotel, Eduardo, who works at the hotel, had made us coconut balls with an almond in the middle and chocolate on the outside. I don't care for coconut, and I hate Almond Joys, but those coconut balls were delightful. And we praised Eduardo highly for his work at keeping a group of women in chocolate!

I noticed that each morning I would get a headache and I was later told that it was likely due to the altitude. It wasn't bad, and an aspirin took care of it right away and didn't interfere with any of my fun.

"Leather Street"

We walked down "Leather Street" - a street with numerous leather shops that had handbags, shoes, belts, luggage, coats, you name it, all beautifully crafted. The smell of leather was intoxicating and looking in the shop windows was a wonderful experience. Later, dinner was at a local restaurant in Cotacachi not far from the hotel. I had Arroz con Camarones (rice with shrimp) and it was yummy. I also had fresh jugo de pina, or pineapple juice, also yummy.

Arroz Con Camarones

I think perhaps because of the weather, it rained a bit while we were there -- and there was the hailstorm, the internet at the hotel was cranky. We didn't have internet again and there are no televisions in the rooms at The Land of the Sun. It's actually kind of nice, although I'm sure not everyone would see it that way, but for me, it was nice to be away from everything for a short period of time.

Quaint and lovely, removed from the hectic everyday American life, in an area of the world that I'd never dreamed I'd actually ever see. It was turning out to be a really nice vacation.