Day One – Lima to Otavalo.
Kike delivered us back to the airport in plenty of time for our flight; check-in was friendly and swift. Today, just for a change my pre-flight coffee was purchased in-terminal rather than getting it FREE in a lounge !! Something of a shock !!
Pushing back early, we presumed we would be ahead of schedule but it was a busy morning at Jorge Chavez Airport and the queue for take off soon destroyed that illusion with our flight finally taking of 15 minutes adrift, although our flight was good we finally arrived in to Otavalo just ahead of schedule.
Quito airport, or Mariscal Sucre International Airport, is nestled amongst some stunning scenery; mountains, rolling hills and volcanoes surround it on all sides. We instantly fell in love with a country we had only just touched down. Booking an airport pick-up with our Otavalo hotel we stood patiently in the arrivals lounge as everybody else departed and waited for Luis our driver to appear. An elderly lady shuffled the length of the arrivals hall towards us – this was definitely not a Luis! As she approached she slowly held up a card revealing our name on it, this was our lift. She turned out to be Mrs Luis and had accompanied her husband on the long journey from Otavalo. This couple were probably the best introduction to the lovely people of Ecuador we could have wished for; their smiles lit up the journey, they loved their country passionately, had lived their entire life in Otavalo and were proud of it. Luis spoke only single words of English and my very basic Spanish was truly tested throughout the 90 minute journey but it was a perfect introduction. The bonus of a local driver was that he pointed out every landmark along the way including every volcano and their current states.
We had booked a central hotel (Hostal Dona Esther) so we could walk and explore the town easily and we were not disappointed. Being situated just off the main square and set back a little from the road through a small courtyard. Check-in was simple and we were given a second floor room. The rooms were all arranged around a central courtyard and decorated in very traditional colours. After unpacking we headed out into the Otavalan afternoon to explore.
Our first stop was Parc Bolivar which was at the end of the road, pausing at a roadside coffee stand – Daily Grind – for a quick coffee. Our aim was to find Plaza del Ponchos and wander the indigenous market but after meandering and exploring for an hour we decided to return to the hotel and study a map. We were also side swiped by the altitude and hadn’t realised how much more slowly we would need to explore if we were to have enough energy to enjoy the trip. Returning to the hotel-avoiding a massive thunderstorm we checked out a route for later that evening that would include some restaurants as our hotel restaurant was closed for the evening.
After a short rest we followed our planned route and arrived at Plaza del Ponchos as everything was packing up for the night. Deciding to leave purchasing souvenirs until the next day, we found a restaurant (Buena Vista) overlooking the market. We found a table and ordered dinner.
After a busy day of travelling and trying to acclimatize to the altitude we had a gentle walk back through Parc Bolivar, stopping again at Daily Grind for a nightcap and to admire the gentle beauty of this town that time doesn’t appear to have spoiled in any way.
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