Left Quito this morning and headed to the main bus station to catch a bus to Otavalo. It was a beautiful sunny day and while driving to the bus station we were treated to glorious views of Cotopaxi and Cayumbe. Cotopaxi looked a bit like Mt. Baker except it is about 6000 meters high.
The bus station was packed with people on their way to the Saturday market just like us. It took almost an hour to get tickets and get on our bus but considering all the crowds it was really well organized and everybody stood and waited their turn so patiently. Not something you would see in Israel.
The drive up north took 2 hours and it was beautiful. High mountains and very deep river valleys all around with the sides of the mountains dotted with farms and villages.
We arrived in Otavalo at about noon, checked into our hostel, Rincon Del Viajera, then went out to visit the market. This market is so beautiful. So many colors of blankets, sweaters, ponchos, bags, scarves and everything else you can imagine from alpaca wool. Sivanne and I bought sweaters. We would have bought more but how to carry it all? There are lots of other touristy souvenirs too. All really nice stuff. This is a region of indigenous tribes and it's interesting to see their traditional dress. The women wear skirts and embroidered shirts with beautiful embroidered belts and black hats. The men also in white shirts, black pants, hats and long braids.
Once again as the afternoon approached the rain started so now we're stuck inside waiting for it to stop.