Markets galore :o)

Otavalo
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From Cayambe it was a 1-hr bus ride to Otavalo - home to the largest & most famous handicraft market in South America. Every week villagers from the surrounding countryside come to sell their handmade goods, livestock, fruit & veg. Having checked into our nice hotel in the centre of town, I headed out for lunch with the Kiwis. Then we all spent the afternoon shopping in the market. Although the big day is a Saturday, & this was a Friday, there were still plenty of stalls already set up to provide us with an afternoon's worth of entertainment. Think I'll have to send a box of goodies home from Quito, as my rucksack is now weighing a ton!!!

Old lady & pig
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That evening we went for dinner to a pizza restaurant where we were accompanied by a very talented 9-piece Ecuadorian band. We ended up sitting so close to them that we couldn't really hear each other speak, but it was nice to go to a different kind of restaurant for a change.

The following morning we were up early, ready to take in as many of the markets as possible, before having to head back to Quito on the 2pm bus. We started off at the animal markets, to the North of the town, where we watched a whole range of pigs, cows & sheep being bought & sold. It was great to sit back & just watch the world go by for a while (& I managed to take some sneaky shots of locals using my zoom lens - he he he). After that we went back to the main square for breakfast - in a restaurant which overlooked the main market. Then it was time for more tat-shopping & bargaining. It was much fun shopping with the Kiwis - esp. Adrian who would bargain things down to e.g. $9, then give a $10 note to the vendor & say "keep the change"!

Hats at the handicraft market
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Janice & I went off for some lunch when shopping became all too much for us. I had a very healthy feast of cake, ice-cream & coffee :o)  Then it was time to head back to Quito, where we arrived around 5pm - just in time for my Galapagos briefing. After the briefing I had to go to a hospital - to have my stitches taken out & to have my foot checked out, as it still wasn't quite right. I was given a sturdy bandage to support it (torn ligaments or something) & told to wear it for the next 2 weeks.

Otavalo lighting
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I caught a taxi from the hospital straight to the Magic Bean where I met the Kiwis for a farewell dinner - boo hoo hoo! It was a lovely evening - reminiscing about the good parts of our trip!!!