Otavalo Market

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Detailed Trip Description

The traditional outdoor Indian markets of the Ecuadorian highlands teem with life and colour. Wander among the locals dressed in their traditional costumes, look at vegetables and fruits you may never have seen before, choose woven wall-hangings and knitted sweaters, or hand-embroidered blouses and dresses, admire the naïf paintings done by the people of Tigua - and all under the canopy of the deep blue Andean sky. This is really a photo opportunity you can't afford to miss. Take for example, the famous market at Saquisili held every Thursday, which has hardly changed in the last 500 years. This small town is located south of Quito, in the midst of arid lands planted with maize and dotted with eucalyptus trees, where the local people's rural lifestyle and festivals have carried on unchanged throughout the centuries. Just as in the old European medieval markets, each square in the town sells different products, some have cattle or poultry, others sell cereals and herbs, others rush mats, and others terracotta pots. The stalls are put together with rustic wooden planks with drapes of cloth to shelter the vendors from the relentless Andean sun. Watch how the locals buy and learn to haggle like them! Market day in the Andes depends on the town. In Pujili it is on Sundays and Wednesdays, in Latacunga on Saturdays and so on. Although the Ecuadorian currency is now the dollar, the tradition of barter is still thriving.

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Trip Itinerary

Day 1 - Otavalo

 
Day Saturday.
Bus

We drive on the Pan-American Highway northward to Otavalo.

Shopping

We visit Otavalo Indian Market which is one of the largest Indian markets in South America.

Hotel

Accommodation at the Hacienda Pinsaqui.


Day 2 - Quito

 
Day Sunday.
Sightseeing

After breakfast we visit the Cuicocha Crater Lake and after a short visit of Cuicocha we drive to Cayambe where you have lunch.

Bus

In the afternoon we return to Quito.


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