Of Markets, Waterfalls, and the Middle of the World

The beautiful view

I am now well practiced in the art of negotiating prices!  I spent the weekend with the BCA group in Otavalo, which is a well-known market town about 2-2.5hrs north of Quito.  At 7:30am on Saturday we set off in our bus, crossing the Equator five or six times during the trip due to the winding mountain roads!  On the way, we stopped at a beautiful overlook before arriving at our first destination: the pyramids of Cosachquí.  At first I couldn’t find the pyramids, then I realized that the large mounds of earth all around WERE the pyramids.  They were built during the years 500-1500 by the (pre-Incan) Quitu Cara culture, and through time were covered in almost a meter of dirt and grass.  While it was very cool to be in such an important ancient site, the herd of llamas that lives there was much more tangible, and may have been my favorite of part of the visit.  We forged friendships with the llamas through peace offerings of salt.

The next stop was at the middle of the world!  We visited a site on the Equator with a huge tower in the middle of a circular plaza that serves as a solar clock.  On the spring and fall equinoxes at 12 noon there are no shadows anywhere on the line!  I plan on making a return trip.

I am in the South, Alyssa the North

From there we drove to our hostel in Otavalo (which was very cute; the rooms reminded me of summer camp), dropped our bags, and headed to the market!  We mostly stayed in the large Poncho Plaza, which was filled with stalls, although the market extended in all directions through the streets.  I really loved all the colors.  The sheer volume of products available is overwhelming!  I spent the first 40 mins simply walking around looking at everything; then commenced with the bartering.  I bought a handful of things, including a sweater (which I needed; it gets very chilly here at night) and some stripy overalls!  Most of the market was clothing and jewelry.  While much of it could have been handmade, there were a lot of things (such as synthetic scarves and other souvenirs) that clearly were not made locally.  I was disappointed by the clear commercialization.  There was a time when all the goods in the Otavalo market were handmade by indigenous artisans, but this lifestyle is slowly being lost for the sake of survival in a market economy.  I’m not sure if this is progress or the opposite.

So many stripes!

Sunday was another full day!  Throughout the day we visited the homes of two indigenous artisans to see their work.  This was very interesting!  We learned about the process of weaving, starting from sheep’s wool and ending with a sit-down loom, from an elderly man, José, and his wife, Maria.  I bought one of José’s scarves to keep me warm and cozy during PA winters!  We also went to the home of a family of indigenous musicians and instrument makers.  My favorite instrument is the rondador, which is a type of panpipe native to Ecuador with a very rich sound.

Also on Sunday we visited a small town, Cotacachi, that specializes in leather goods where I bought a much-needed new belt, and a beautiful nearby volcanic lake, Laguna Cuicocha.  We went to el Parque Condor where we saw many majestic eagles, hawks, owls, and condors.  But the highlight of the entire weekend was our visit to la cascada de Peguche!  This is a huge waterfall tucked a short hike back in the mountainous Andean forest.  All I can say is, “Wow!!”  What a great hike and what an amazing sight.  There are actually two falls, first the smaller then the larger, and the best part is that we were able to wade back to the smaller waterfall and walk behind and beneath it!  The water was about thigh high and pretty cold, and it was only about 62°F out, but it was well worth the cold!  There was so much water crashing down around me!  I cannot remember ever doing anything so exhilarating in my life. 

This Friday is Ecuador’s Independence Day, so it is a national holiday, and I am going to la playa in Esmeraldas province for the weekend with my family!