OH Otovalo

A small town, though bigger than we expected, with a huge market, lies northeast of Quito and forever in my heart. A wonderful daytrip providing fresh air and a bit of peace and quiet despite all that was going on around us. Most otovalenos still wear the traditional dress and are said to hold on to their culture quite closely. All who we encountered were exceptionally friendly, and very proud of their handmade crafts. There were fewer than I expected actually involved inthe process of making what they were selling as we strolled around the plaza, but were instead tactfully trailing us holding up garments of terribly soft alpaca fur, carved gourds, and wind pipes. There was an enormous amount of jewelry, most of which is made from Tagua, a type of tree/wood specific to Ecuador. It's super durable and easy to dye and carve, and so it's everywhere.
To back track a bit, just because I thought it was funny, the bus ride there seemed to take forever. (Luckily, they played Hallye's favorite movie, The Mummy.)Specifically because we were moving at a speed much slower than the rest of the traffic cruising down the panamerican highway, as the driver pumped the brakes around every itty bitty corner, and stopped several times only to let passengers off to pee on the side of the road, and/or let vendors on to sell the passengers their goods. At one point there was a line of people hollering one item after another as they passed each row of seats. The line went like this: bottles of soda/nuts, 1/2 lb. bags of grapes, phone cards, writing utencils, individual plates of chicken and salad, coconut milk (I think...plastic baggies of white liquid with a short blue straw poking out), ice cream, and finally, DVD's, pirated of course.
Back to the future, the bus ride home was quite enjoyable. They again played a movie called The Mummy, and though it did have sand monsters rising from the dead and Brendan Frasier, none of us recognized this version. The highlight, though, was the rave in the back of the bus. We pulled into Quito to the pumping beats of US techno we all couldn't help but dance to. And though none of us remembered to bring out glow sticks, the red lights that lined the ceiling were a perfect substitute and set the mood perfectly. It also helped that we were surrounded by gringos, as most were returning from Otovalo, a popular spot for travelers.
A lovely day! Hope everyone is well. Much love from the South side!
(pax)

ps/ the pic was taken on the balcony of Cafe Mosaico, at the very top of our hill. una buena vista!
hallye, katie, danielle (FR), nice chilean couple, and willy (haiti)