Today we headed out of the city for a tour with a friend of Craig and Mariana. As we traveled out of the city we began to see acres of rose farms. The roses are beautiful here and export to the US. You can buy 2 dozen roses at the market for $4.00. And these roses are Hugh!! Every restaurant and hotel has an abundance of bouquets.
We stopped at the Otavalo Market which is known throughout South America for it's extensive variety of crafts and local art. Needless to say we found a few things!! Then onto the town of Catacachi which has lots of leather markets. There are lots of US retirees living here and probably due to the perfect climate and low cost of living. We could have lunch which included soup, meat, rice, vegetables and a fabulous fresh juice for $2.50.
Next stop was to Crater lake. It was great for a hike up to a great view point.
Great day exploring in Ecuador!