To Market, to Market

Otovelo is famous for its Saturday market - the biggest in Ecuador and if memory serves, the biggest in South America. They actually have three separate markets - the animal market, the food market and the handcraft market. The handcraft market takes up an area five blocks by fifteen. All those streets are closed on Saturday and everyone comes to sell and to buy. The animal market is a few blocks from the handcraft market, in a special area that is only used on Saturday. They even have fat pigs. The food market is always open, and is in an area somewhat between the two other markets, although there is food available at the other end of the handcraft market. The traffic is horrendous. There are busses every ten minutes from Quito, and we have been advised to be very careful, so I decided not to take my camera.

Unfortunately it is raining today (another reason to leave my camera behind), so all the stall holders are improvising tarpolins above their wares, and the occasional deluge suddenly occurs when they fill.

They have lots of clothes, weaving, musical instruments (including someone selling didgeridoos, but not playing it very well), knitting, crochet, embroidery, painting, woodwork and jewellery.

This is the last day of the tour, and I will be sorry to say goodbye to everyone. Five of them are going on the Galapagos tour that is an extension of this, but it was full when I booked, so I will have a day in Quito before I go. The group has been the nicest group I have toured with, and Henry, our guide, has been absolutely superb. He rearranged things when people wanted it. For instance, we were passing through a town, and he mentioned that it was famous for its biscuits and dulce de leche. The whole bus let out a collective sigh (we hadn't seen dulce de leche anywhere in Ecuador), so we stopped at the original shop and all bought some, even though we were due somewhere at a particular time.