Hello from Otavalo! We got here yesterday afternoon. The bus ride is only a couple of hours north east from Quito. I sat in the front of the bus, literally a few inches from the windshield, which made the driver's crazy driving even that much more exciting! haha! Today we spent the day at the large saturday market. Tomorrow we will be going on one of the local tours offered in this town. We will visit some indigenous communities around in the outskirts of Otavalo. We will get to learn more about different Quichua indigenous handicrafts - how they process wool, weave, make musical instruments, and floor mats from the totora plant, also we will go see a town that is know for it's leather goods. Last year I visited Lagunas (lake) de Mojanda (3715 m.) and this year we will be going to Lago San Pablo (2670 m.) and Laguna Cuicocha (3064 m.) and also the waterfalls ¨cascada de Peguche'. We plan to head back to Quito on Monday and then start working our way down to Ambato where my friend has an apartment where we can stay. Hope all of you are having a great summer! ¿Kimmy?