Day Trip to Otovalo
After resting Saturday and acclimating to the altitude, we took a day trip to Cayambe, Otovalo, and Ibarra. Veronica’s parents rented a van and invited along some brothers from their congregation, El Inca. It was a very enjoyable day and we got to see some breathtaking scenery.
Cayambe
We came to Cayambe first, where we had breakfast of their famous bizcochos and queso (cheese), along with hot coffee and cocoa. It was so good. We also bought fresh honey and souvenirs.
I was fascinated at the stray dogs everywhere we went in Ecuador, even in the cities. They were actually fed and cared for. Ecuadorians love their dogs.
Otovalo Market
After Cayambe, we traveled on to Otovalo, where we shopped a
t the market for souvenirs and Steve had a little fresh goat milk.
Charles had fun bargaining with the vendors, but Ceci, Vero’s mom is the expert. She got the belt guy down half price. I did a little bargaining of my own and bought a cute poncho, sundress and some finger puppets for our granddaughter.
Cascada de Peguche
After leaving Otovalo, we travelled on to the Cascada de Peguche, which is a beautiful waterfall we hiked up to. Th
e hike up was a little painful, as the path was covered with large, bumpy cobblestones, but the waterfall was beautiful. Thankfully, Steve found another path down, which was much smoother.
From the cascada, we traveled on to Ibarra, where we visited a huge, modern shopping mall and had lunch.
On the way home, we noticed the sign in the traffic circle in Otovalo – advertising the convention. How exciting is that! (click photos to enlarge)
Ancient solar calendar.
