Otavalo, Ecuador

I had a beautiful bus ride from the border of Colombia to the town of Otavalo, Ecuador -- home to one of the largest craft markets in South America. Passing through the Northern Andean Highlands is a sight unto itself. This region is full of fertile farm land as you can see in the photo above. As we passed through one town lower in the valley the temperatures picked up a bit, and you can see a line of little boys in the river if you look closely at this photo below. The town of Otavalo itself is unique in that the culture is highly preserved in language and traditional dress. The people are very humble and very kind -- always welcomgin conversation especially if it leads to a sale. Most of the vendors are themseles producing the crafts that they sell -- from jewelry to weavings, bags and blankets. The ponchos typically worn dur to the cold climate in the high sierras are made of alpaca or llama and are warm and cozy.
There is also a lot of great food in town, too -- I´ve enjoyed lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, every meal is served with a fresh fruit salad, last night I had Spinach Lasana and garlic bread. After I made my puchases in the market I sat in a pie shop and had Strawberry pie and a cup of coffee at a great price of $1.70. Can´t beat that. Am trying to contain my purchasing so that I have some money left over when I get to Peru...