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We started exploring the famous Otavalo Saturday market by visiting the animal section first. It was a bit of a way out of town but we followed the line of animals being taken or being dragged away - the pigs in particularly didn't like being dragged and made a horrible squealing noise. On offer were cows, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigs, puppies and sheep - unfortunately no llamas. We also saw many people dressed in traditional clothes which is a big difference from Colombia. I also realised that this is the country for me: many many people are actually smaller than me! We then headed back into town for a late breakfast (I was getting grumpy) then onto the more touristy side of the market. We spent a while wandering through the streets and "Plaza de Ponchos" looking at all the stalls filled with brightly coloured crafts: scarves, blankets, bags, jumpers, jewellery and loads more. Before lunch, we settled for buying a hat and warm socks for me (socks with llamas on) ready for the inevitable cooler Andes climate and a hat for Simon. We met up for part 1 of the San Blas Otavalo Market Reunion with Kate, Mike, Tijs and Jacqueline for some lunch then all headed out into the market together where the peer pressure resulted in the three men buying "happy pants": brightly coloured stripy fabric trousers which were on sale everywhere (although we're yet to see a local wearing them). Simon will only be wearing them as pyjamas though.
We retired back to our penthouse suite in the hostel. We had definitely been given the best room at the top of the building with views over the town and hills and even a balcony (but the shower was awful, constantly changing from freezing cold to scalding). Before heading out for dinner, the six of us reconvened on the roof terrace for drinks, learning about the touching funeral of Mike's guinea pig, Agnes, accompanied by Queen music. It's a shame they eat guinea pig here (see pictures for serving ideas) as the mere mention (many, many times that evening) brought the occasion back for Mike. We all ate out at a local restaurant (guinea pig was not on the menu) where we were joined by David too. From there we walked round the corner to a bar for some more drinks and enjoyed an interesting selection of tunes accompanied by the "Sex and the City" movie on the TV.
We set out on our second day, with Jacqueline and Tijs, to the bus station where we caught the bus to a nearby town, then a pick up truck to Laguna de Cuicocha. From here we set off on a hike around the lake which took us nearly five hours. We climbed up to the edge of the crater for fabulous views into the crater lake and the two islands within it. After the first short stair climb, we were all panting and out of breath due to the 3000m altitude. The first half of the walk was punishing as we climbed to about 3500m, with the oxygen ever decreasing and our calves screaming for us to stop. But we were rewarded with the views, particularly when the sun came out, making the water in the lake look an even more beautiful blue colour. We passed a large group of Germans on tour and were spurred on through the rest of the walk whenever we heard them behind us. Unfortunately the end of the walk was along some road, where we were overtaken by the Germans in their posh coach which had come to collect them. We eventually made it back to the start, legs aching, tired and thirsty. We headed down to the lake where we got some snacks and drinks then were able to get a pick-up truck back to the nearby town and a bus back to Otavalo where we all collapsed on our beds!
The six San Blas-ers met up again for dinner at a popular local fried chicken and chips joint (popular cuisine all over Latin America), supplemented by a salad (I didn't see too many locals opting for this) then onto a bar for some more drinks. This was our last night all together as it is unlikely our travel plans will coincide again. Sad times but we have really enjoyed each other's company since we met a month ago but we will keep in touch and get tips from the others as they get ahead of us.
Simon and I had the third day to ourselves in Otavalo as the others left for Quito. We spent the day preparing for the next part of trip: volunteering in the cloud forest. We made some more essential purchases (including a new jumper for me), tried to dry our washing in the rain and enjoyed catching up with all three sets of parents. By this point the panpipe music that the gas delivery van played around town was starting to get annoying.
We are looking forward to the next part of our adventure in rural Ecuador, where we hope to immerse ourselves in the local culture, improve our Spanish and enjoy staying in one place for a while. Equally, we are slightly apprehensive as we venture into the unknown and a simpler way of life. Read more about the place we are going here: http://www.intagtour.com/
Katy
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