Final days in Ecuador

Arrived back in Quito overnight, after our wonderful 5 days in Galapagos. Headed off to Otavalo the following day to visit the famous Saturday indigenous market. We hired a driver to take us there.....we find that the transportation systems in Ecuador are not quite as developed as those in Peru. Our driver, Patricio was great. He only spoke a little English and as our Spanish was limited......we all taught each other new vocabulary...a lot of fun and learning. He said it was great as he actually learnt some French words as well. Claire has a tendancy to revert to French when she can´t remember a Spanish word.

When we arrived at our hotel in Otavalo, La Casa Sol (sister hotel to the one we are staying at several times in Quito); we were blown away....what a beautiful hostal in a country setting. We were actually about a 5 minute drive out of the town of Otavalo. A rabbit warren of various rooms and great indigineous art work. We were 2 of only 5 people staying at the hostal. It´s only a year old.

On to the market, where we spent a couple of hours. Only picked up a few (necessary!!!) things....sorry no souvernirs folks!! Back to our hotel by taxi.....our hotel was set on a hill and the taxi driver said he would charge us $3 but would only take us to the bottom of the hill and would charge $4 to take us to the top!! Decided we could use the exercise and chose the cheaper option. Then walked to the local Peguche waterfall.












The next day, our driver picked us up and we spent the day exploring the local towns. We were very fortunate that he took us to visit Don Carlos de la Torres a famous weaver. Don Carlos is now 76 years of age, but he and his wife took the time to show us their ancient weaving traditions. They were absolutely delightful.....and both shorter than Claire!!! Robin bought a scarf that is thick and warm for our winter days.












Then off for a hike to a local lagoon up in the mountains for about 1 hour. Then to a another village which is known for its leather work. Went to a local restaurant for lunch with our guide....there are always great lunches when the guides take you to their local haunts. the driver said he would meet us down by the town square so that we would have a chance to do some shopping. Said we really weren´t interested, but the walk would do us good. Unbelievably, a new pair of dress leather boots are now in Claire´s suitcase!! He had a good laugh!


Back to our hotel in Quito overnight and then off with another driver to Baños, a small mountain village about 4 hours by car from Quito. Our driver, Hugo speaks quite good English, but has a habit of pointing out volcanoe peaks and local spots of interest and takes his hands off the steering wheel; then does a quick jerk back to his side of the lane...a little nerve racking. Robin actually told him one time, to take it a bit slower going down the winding curving road. The drivers here in both Peru and Ecuador pass no matter what the signs say or no matter that there are double yellow lines on the highway. As once local told us, the signs and lines are only a suggestion!!! Also stopped at an amimal market in Ambato where various indigineous tribes people were selling their cattle, horses, donkeys, etc. They all wore their local native garments. A real treat to see this activity...we were the only caucasian people there.












Went for a great 2 hour hike this morning on the local volcano and have each booked a massage for this afternoon. Some rain here, but not too heavy. Back to Quito tomorrow for our last night in Ecuador; then a late afternoon flight back to Lima. Overnight in Lima on Thursday night, then a late night flight out on Friday to Houston and back in Calgary on Saturday around noon.



Pictures
1) La Casa Sol, Otavalo
2) Claire at the Otavalo market
3) Robin at Peguche waterfall
4) Don Carlos de la Torres - weaver
5) Animal market in Ambato
6) View of Baños from our hike above the town


Our final thoughts on our trip.....

Sensory overload. The wonderful people we have met along the way, both locals and other fellow travellers. Our guides have been absolutely fantastic.... Justino, Gilbert, Jim, Morris, Patricio, Hugo, etc. The wonderful staff in the various hostels. The sites we have seen, the experiences we have had, the food we have tasted, the plants, the wildlife, having to push a moto taxi up a hill, people running for change.

These 2 countries are incredibly beautiful, but with tremendous poverty. In spite of this, the people are happy and work very hard for a better way of life for their children. Unfortunately, in Ecuador, the government is still putting a lot of money into the military, instead of investing in its infrastructure and its people.

Ecuador has a lot to offer the independant traveller. Unfortunately this is not well known in the developed world. People only think of the Galapagos when they think of Ecuador. The country could do a better job of promoting itself. We would certainly recommend Ecuador to anyone.

Knowing a little bit of Spanish is essential as there are parts of these countries that still speak no English.

Finally, we should mention that prior to starting our trip we purchased ¨carbon credits¨to offset the airline carbon costs. We would urge others to do the same when they travel to help the Mama Pacha (Mother Earth). The cost itself is not a lot. Should you want more information on the web site we used, contact us later.