Otavalo – Day Two
The Hostal Dona Esther lived up to our expectations totally, the beds were amazingly comfortable and despite the effects of the altitude we slept well. As a traditional building we knew the facilities would be in keeping with the age, but it was spotlessly clean and faultless. Breakfast was included and was a veritable feast; we were set up for a day of exploring.
Confidently making our way to Plaza del Ponchos we arrived as they were setting up their stalls. It was a feast of colour and bustle, filled with smiles and Ecuadorian warmth. We arrived ahead of the buses that bring tourists from Quito and enjoyed having the time to ourselves; bartering and buying handmade souvenirs for ridiculously low prices. Mrs Y (with assistance from a stall holder) had a major triumph; after years of resistance I purchased an authentic Panama hat! Something I would be glad of during the rest of the trip. Mrs Y spent a lovely morning buying anything she could barter to a good price resulting in a full suitcase upon leaving.
Taking a break from shopping we found a very modern looking coffee shop on the edge of the market (La Cosecha). Although it was clean and served good coffee with a lovely view of the mountains, it seemed out of place in this traditional town. It felt, from its position, as if it had been opened purely to provide for the visiting tour buses coming to the market.
We love to go beyond the obvious, so we wandered to the edge of the town and the local food market. It had recently moved into a new building which was massive, two floors of fresh food and cooked food stalls. We have never seen so many different fruits and vegetables (hundreds of different potatoes). Wandering around we became aware we were the only non-locals there, but in this friendly country it only resulted in smiles. As usual we gravitated to the cooked food stalls (we love trying new food) and found an Ecuadorian snack we just couldn’t resist – Quimbolitos. The stall holder could speak no English but knew it was a new experience for us, so between laughing and plenty of hand signs she showed us how to eat them. They are a delicious steamed sweet pudding containing a single sultana wrapped inside an achira leaf.
We tried Quimbolitos again later in the holiday but the Otavalo market ones were the best we tasted. Deciding to eat lunch in reverse order we then spotted a stall selling Llapingachos, a kind of potato cake, and a bag of salad and it seemed rude not to try them! The freshness of the food cooked in the market made this a highlight of the stay.
After a busy day exploring we made our way gently back to the hotel, stopping off at a local roadside stall to buy some deep fried broad beans.
Jet lag caught up with Mrs Y late afternoon so we decided to eat in the hotel and have a quiet evening in.
The hotels onsite restaurant had a massive pizza oven and the hand-made pizza tasted great too. It was good to see the owners eating their dinner there too!
We spent the rest of the evening forcing newly bought souvenirs into suitcases ready for the trip into Quito but also planning how we could make the most of the few hours we had left in Otavalo.
mrandmrsyoung 