Otavalo Shopping Extravaganza

If you like shopping, you must go to Otavalo. Even if you don’t, there is no better place to find high-quality inexpensive presents. It’s only two hours from Quito by bus and has all the artisan crafts you could possibly want. For those of you living in Ecuador with a meager wardrobe, you will be pleased to know that it also has a larger selection of stylish clothes in general than most other cities.



I was expecting Otavalo to be a small, quiet, old-fashioned village because it is known as a thriving indigenous community. It is nothing of the sort. It is a pretty, fairly modern city with stunning scenery, a nice collection of good restaurants, and tons of cool stores. The best thing of all is that it IS a thriving indigenous community and the locals seem affluent and comfortable which is nice to see. Women and men in traditional dress wander by teens in skinny jeans and ballet flats or puffy sneakers. Shops full of embroidered blouses share walls with American fashion stores and somehow this all makes sense and seems harmonious.

The large market day is on Saturdays, but there are a few small towns nearby that specialize in creating certain crafts like textiles and leather so we decided to head up North a few days before to explore the area. We took the bus from Quito to Otavalo around 12:30 on Thursday. The bus only took two hours and was a beautiful ride, so I was told, as I slept the entire time.

We stayed in Hotel Carazo, a large, modern hotel which has comfortable beds, carpeted floors, television, large closets, and spacious showers for $16 per person per night including breakfast.


They have rooms with mountain views that overlook the street, as well as quieter rooms in the back with partial views and they offer wifi for $2 per day. The breakfast is the usual coffee, eggs with ham, bread and juice. We did however see a few roaches, although not in our rooms. And there were creepy mannequins in the hallway.





On our first afternoon, we walked around the daily artisan market in Plaza de Ponchos, and then had dinner at an upstairs restaurant called Buena Vista right on the square. They have aerial views of the market below and pretty good food for the price. Two of us had filet mignon which was very tasty besides lacking the bacon that should have surrounded the steak, and I had spinach rice with vegetables which was actually quite good. They have happy hour from 7 to 8 and an adequate cocktail menu.





On Friday we went to Cotacachi, a smaller town, but by no means small, abut 20 minutes by bus from Otavalo. Cotacachi is famous for it’s leather stores spread out primarily along calle 10 de Agosto. They have stylish, chic handbags, bomber and motorcycle jackets, trench coats and blazers, belts, shoes, wallets and coin purses. My favorite were the bomber jackets for around $90, something you would easily pay about $250 for in the states, and the handbags and wallets which would easily retail for three times as much. My sister and I went crazy here and bought a total of 7 purses and three wallets. Great deals! They are all handmade, many of that soft, buttery leather that I love so much, and you can actually watch the artists make the handbags in their shops. These are just a few of our purchases.



We had lunch at Hotel El Meson de las Flores, which was in a charming, colonial courtyard and is the perfect place to relax for an hour after a shopping frenzy. We came back to Otavalo and had dinner at a restaurant on Sucre about a block from Plaza de Ponchos that had low hanging palm frond mats that made it feel cozy and enclosed although it was actually outdoors. It was Carina’s birthday so after dinner we had a delicious blackberry pie for $10 from the Shenandoah Pie Shop located in Plaza de Ponchos and some vanilla ice cream from Tia on Sucre near Calderon.









On Saturday we woke up early and went to the Animal market at around 7:00 and were pleased to see that we were the first tourists there. The animal market is huge and full of pigs, sheep, goats, cows, rabbits, chickens, guinea pig, ducks, geese, dogs and the people trying to sell them.















What really impressed me is how well the animals behaved. For such a chaotic environment there were really very few animals acting up and it felt very safe. People just weave in and out of cows, step over piglets , hop over taught rope tying sheep together, etc. For those of you who are worried you will find it disturbing because of the treatment of animals, you might, but most of the animals seemed very healthy - in fact only a few that I saw seemed lethargic, and it actually seems more humane than what we do to animals in the States. These are animals that are raised from birth by families and then sold here which is a lot better for the animals than being raised at a dairy for example. However, at one point we did see a family purchase a pig and put it in the trunk of a taxi to take it home, so proceed with caution.

While we were there an old lady started talking to us and tried to sell us some of her little woven belts. I bought one for $2 because I liked her smile. As we walked back towards town around 8:00 to hit up the ATM we passed tons of tourists walking towards the animal market and were glad we got up when we did. As we were walking we saw a man selling chorangos and my father found one that had an armadillo back, which was very cool.





When we were walking through the square we saw some ladies selling this homespun wool that my stepmother had wanted so we bought that and then went back to our hotel for breakfast.







As soon as we finished we hit the market again. The Saturday market takes over most of the town and is really a site to see. It is much larger than I imagined and all sorts of things are sold here.













I bought a little purse to hold my camera and money, three leather bracelets, and three beaded necklaces.








Zach bought two alpaca scarves, and peacock earrings.






Carina bought a wooden bowl, four scarves, two blankets, and the same little money purse as me, some gray beads, and two gorgeous hand painted trays.




















Here is some of what we ended up with.



And we could have bought so much more!







For dinner we went to a brand new crepe restaurant that just opened in Plaza Bolivar. It has an interesting, eclectic décor with metal sculpture bar stools with breasts attached, a sideways bicycle installed on a wall, and metal cables coming down from the ceiling. We all had the chicken and mushroom crepe which was rich, covered in parmesan alfredo sauce and overall ridiculously delicious and fattening. The owner was charming and gave us little nuts and beans to munch on while he prepared our meals.






On Sunday we took the bus to Peguche, a small village about 20 minutes by bus which is known for their textiles. Most of the stores were closed because it was Sunday, but the largest one on the main plaza, El Gran Condor, was open and I bought a gorgeous sparkly scarf in my favorite colors. After that we hopped on another bus to Agato. Unfortunately nothing was open on Sunday and we got stranded there for about half an hour while we waited for a bus.

Living in Quito: Top Ten Things You Should Know

10. Dish soap is solidified and comes in plastic tubs




Weird, right? But so much better, I swear it!



9. Milk comes in a bag




In a plastic bag. Don’t try to just cut one corner and use some and then roll it down and close it with a clothes pin. Don’t do it! It will spill in your fridge and you will be sad. Instead, buy a plastic pitcher with a sealable lid and pour it in that. Problem solved.


8. All movies are sold in large video stores comprised entirely of bootleg cds for $1




This is awesome! Just enjoy. (Yes, that is Conan The Barbarian and I don't want to hear a word about it!)


7. Wine in a box




That’s right, I drink wine in a box. What’s it to ya?


6. There are no emissions laws

Oh, there must be some, you say. No, no there’s not. Buses shoot something out of their exhaust pipe that can only be compared to what happens to tourists who eat at the local food stalls. It’s a pure black endless stream that lingers in the air for 20 minutes and will kill you eventually.


5. Panama hats are from Ecuador and you can buy a nice one for $15 dollars that will make you look really cool when you get back home.




If you wear them while in Ecuador you look like a stupid gringo. I learned this the hard way.


4. You can only use small bills and coins

If you try to pay for something that costs $4 with a $5 bill they will look at you like you just did something as horrible and ostentatious as showing a paraplegic beggar a $100 bill and saying you really want to give him a dollar and you will if only, does he possibly have change?


3. All those Sacajawea coins are down here and people use them!




I'm not going to go into why I think they were unpopular in the United States and why I think they are so popular down here, but think about it.


2. This country is gorgeous.

You can climb Andean volcanoes, sunbathe at the beach, sail the Galapagos, explore the Amazon, visit indigenous villages, zipline above cloud forests, sample delicious new foods, and generally do what you do all in Ecuador without breaking the bank.


1. All is fair in love and war and apparently while riding the trolley.

The same people who just walked you 25 minutes out of their way to show you where the cigar shop is, will trample you, your mother, your blind child, and everyone else without batting an eye while on the trolley. If you are trying to get off the trolley, God help you, because as soon as those doors open the 10,000 people on the platform will rush you without allowing any passengers, especially a foreigner like you, off. If you happen to have a seat and kindly stand up and aside so that the man who looks close to 175 can sit down, both you and he will be trampled by every other single person on the trolley clamoring to get your seat. My advice is to take an old sweatshirt and sew spikes and nails to the outside.

Bathing in Banos

Banos is a little town at the base of Vulcan Tungurahua that had some recent activity directly before our arrival, which my mother felt the need to frantically warn me of before our departure with a 6:00 am phone call and a myriad of emails with the subject line “Alert!” However, we decided to ignore the warning and headed to Banos anyway.

I had heard of the wonders of Banos from other travelers and had read about it in Lonely Planet, which I had yet to learn was basically completely useless and so was still referencing, where they described Banos as some sort of Shangri-La. So, as I stepped off the bus, I felt a little disappointed because the town didn’t look like much. A small grid of semi-paved roads, shouting men trying to direct you to their hostel, little kids sitting on boxes in the street, women behind wooden stalls selling nuts, Doritos, candy and sliced mangos.

Keep in mind this was my first excursion outside of Quito so I also had yet to realize that this is how all the towns look. However, here we were after a 3 and ½ hour bus ride and so we started our walk to our hostel Plantas Y Blancos. Lonely Planet had written next to the name of the hostel (you figure it out!). I thought that perhaps the name meant it was also a cocaine processing plant, but it really just means the walls are white and they have plants everywhere.

We stayed in room 13, which despite being unluckily named, was very pleasant with a comfortable bed, private bathroom, small seating area, view of the basilica and access to the patio. They have an absolutely gorgeous upstairs terrace where you can order delicious breakfasts, and based on an honor system serve yourself coffee, tea, hot chocolate and beer all day long, and play any number of board games, or use the free wifi all while admiring the 360 degree view of green volcanoes and trickling waterfalls. We paid $9.50 per person for our room, but breakfast is not included. Luckily, Plantos Y Blancos makes up for the lack of cocaine by offering exhilarating steam baths for $2.50 each morning that are guaranteed to raise your heartbeat.

These steam baths are described as “steam bath, massage, and hydrotherapy jet massage.” This is how it really is: you get into your swimsuit, go up to the terrace where everyone is eating breakfast, knock on a wooden door where a nice Ecuadorian man brings you inside a small cement changing room. You hang up your towel, kick off your flip flops and let him lead you into a second, larger concrete room with four or five wooden and cement stalls.

He leads you into one of the stalls, wraps a washcloth around your neck, tells you to sit on the cement bench, and then closes a wooden gate in front of you and slides a wooden gate up around your neck so you are fully enclosed with your head popping out. It kind of looks like a medieval torture box and you almost expect peasants to come by and tickle your nose with feathers at any moment. Then it starts to fill with steam , but no need to panic as you can control the temperature with a metal lever by your butt, although it's honestly pretty much scalding the whole time.

After five minutes the bath attendant pulls you out and makes you do a ritual with ice cold water and a towel. You are supposed to completely mimic him as he rubs the towel up one leg and torso and arm, and then redips the towel and repeats on the other side. You then are led back into your box and you repeat the entire process, but then after you are chilled from the cold towel he makes you sit in a tub of ice water and rub your own stomach vigorously ( this is the massage aspect of the procedure). If you stop rubbing your stomach he will come over and make you rub it. When you are shivering with teeth chattering he comes back and splashes you for a few minutes. Meaning, he reaches his hand into your bath and actually splashes your face with the ice water while you try not to scream and/or run. You are led back into your box (thank God because by this time you are turning blue) to repeat the entire process again, but this time instead of the tub he pours a bucket of ice water over your head.

You are led back to the safety of your box to repeat the entire process yet again, but this time he makes you stand against a concrete wall and directs a very high pressurized hose at you, covering every inch of your body. It hurts! This is the hydrotherapy jet massage. The whole experience was really torturous, but for some reason we like to suffer and did it every day. You really do feel great afterward and I recommend trying it.

In Banos there are about 20 places offering go carts to rent. We finally rented one for $10 per hour and drove it on the highway which was TERRIFYING. Buses passing you and honking, stray dogs giving chase, dark endless tunnels with one lane. The highway is called Las Cascades because there are a bunch of waterfalls along the route.

After we made it to the end I let my boyfriend drive, which was a big mistake as far as I’m concerned. When I drove I hugged the right side of the road so buses wouldn’t run us over and could pass us easily. Well, my boyfriend hugged the yellow line down the middle of the road so everyone honked and whizzed inches from us. I was trying not to complain or scream the entire time he was driving. Finally he pulled over so he could do this really cool hike to Machay waterfall ($1 for access) while I sat at a restaurant with my cursed crutch and admired the view and watched the birds.

When we got back to the go cart we realized we had left the lights on and our battery was dead. We called the company and they sent two teenage boys to retrieve us. One of the boys had to sit in the go cart which was being dragged behind the van, secured by a thin rope, and steer. They were laughing and the boy was trying to steer himself alongside the van, completely unaware he was facing imminent death. Luckily, we all survived and the boys bought ice-cream so we considered it a success.

We had $25 hour-long Swedish stone massages at a place called Chakra, which were the best massages of our lives. And I have had many massages. Unfortunately, I chose to leave my underwear on and the woman said “permisso” and pulled them down around my ankles where they stayed for the duration of the massage. A black lace thong around the ankles gave an unwanted naughty girl vibe to the whole thing which was...unfortunate. But still, best massage of my life. When you go, just go sans underwear.

Our favorite place to eat there was Casa Hood which has decent portions of delicious food for around $5. They also have a fireplace, cheap guitars you can play, a library, and they play movies almost everyday at 4:30 pm.

On the main road in Banos you can find tons of people making toffee called melcocha against wooden poles with their bare hands. I can be a little hesitant to try things like that, and you probably are too, but try it. It’s really, really good, especially when it’s still hot from their sweaty hands. Gross, I know, but everyone does it so that makes it okay.

Banos has quite a few thermal baths, but we went to the hot baths outside of town called Piscina El Salado which were very quiet and relaxing. There are three pools, one really hot, one hot, and one warm like a heated swimming pool. It was $2 to get in and definitely worth it, although the pools are basic. They are really just rectangles cut into concrete that you jump into, so they aren’t lovely like the tiled Turkish baths in Eastern Europe or anything like that.

Banos is full of other travelers (although I mostly saw the young, athletic type there) so you can definitely meet other people if you want. They have other outdoor things that I couldn’t do because of my leg such as horseback riding, canyoning (which is repelling down waterfalls), rafting, mountain biking, swing jumping, etc. Another fun thing to do is to go to the zoo in Banos, or take the bus to Puyo and play with the monkeys. When we were in Banos it was kind of cold and damp and I was chilly most of the time. Bring a warm sweater and sweatpants for lounging around.

Review of Mancora, Peru

So, we had been having some problems with our Ecuadorian visas and things kept looking up and then falling through at the last minute. When we realized we only had 3 weeks left on our visas for the entire year, we stored our stuff at the South American Explorers Club in Quito and headed down south to Peru. We were planning on going straight to Cusco to visit my lovely cousin who works and lives there and do a little Machu Picchu exploration, but then I developed a raging sinus infection (happens every single time I take a long bus ride), and then we saw the coast with its calm turquoise water and white sandy beaches and all our former plans became eclipsed by dreams of throat lozenges and soft beds, followed shortly by lounge chairs and pina coladas. So, we hopped off the bus for a little R&R.

The northern coast of Peru is hot and dry with a cool ever-present breeze and the combination pretty much makes the best weather a girl with a bikini can hope for. And since I have a bikini, there was really no other option but to stay near the beach for a much longer period than we had initially planned. We rented a house for the month five minutes south of the town of Mancora right on the sand. We can hear the waves all day long and our bedroom has French doors that we get to throw open in the morning before stepping onto the terrace with views of little fishing boats gently rocking and the white sand stretching on and on before it curves around bluffs in the distance. Mancora is pretty idyllic and it’s my favorite beach town so far.




The water is relatively warm and perfect for swimming, surfing, and snorkeling. Of course I got stung by a jellyfish the first time I swam and had to pee in a jar and pour my own urine all over myself, which slightly took away from the whole "I’m in paradise" feeling. Luckily the feeling came back soon.




Mancora is a resort town, but still full of locals, travelers from other SA countries, and foreigners. People seem to be mostly 20 to 30 and spend a lot of time on the beach surfing, kite-surfing, sunbathing and playing soccer. As far as nightlife is concerned there are bars along the beach and lining the main road in town that offer happy hour specials and are good for grabbing a drink. Mancora also has a variety of good restaurants, and occasionally on the weekends there are huge parties at The Point, a hostel outside of town.

The Point and Loki are two new hostels that are resorts for young backpackers with large pools, dorm rooms, private rooms, bars, etc. They are actually pretty swanky and if I was here by myself or with a group of friends I would definitely stay at one of them for at least a few days. Loki is right in town and the Point is a 2 sole ride in a moto-taxi to the north of town. I have heard that the dorm rooms are the best value and ladies can request women-only dorms if they prefer.

Before we rented the house on the beach we stayed at Casa Blanca, a hotel at the southern end of town on the main street. We got a matrimonial with a private bathroom and a mini fridge with tv and wifi for 40 soles per night. I think it’s the best deal around honestly and they let you use the kitchen which can save you a bunch of cash.




For those of you staying more than a couple days and who have access to a kitchen, there is a daily market in Mancora that sells fruit, veggies, fresh fish, chicken, homemade pesto, garlic paste, and curry, as well as pots and pans, clothes, and a ton of other stuff. It’s off the main road and it doesn’t seem like most of the tourists know about it. If you go to the CIFA bus station in town, cross the street and then go up one block on the side street you will find the market. It’s much cheaper than the fruit/veggie stands near Loki that most of the tourists frequent. The largest grocery store in town is one block before the National Bank and on the other side of the street. The best convenience store right in town is the one right next to Casa Blanca hotel. Even though it’s small, it has the best stuff and the cheapest prices.

As far as restaurants are concerned, we like Tao’s thai food a lot, but their Chinese food isn’t that great. I had chicken panang that was delicious and Zach had chicken pad thai which was also very good. They have huge portions and to go boxes, so even though it’s a little pricy, it’s really two meals. Angela’s, the vegetarian restaurant, has good food like quinoa with veggies, falafel, and homemade banana bread. Green Eggs and Ham located on the top floor of The Bird House has delicious breakfasts with bacon, eggs, sausage, home fries, pancakes, waffles, etc, really good sandwiches like turkey avocado or barbequed pulled chicken, fish tacos, and is overall a good, reliable place to eat. La Sirena is romantic and the perfect place to have dinner Friday or Saturday nights. They have a great menu with gnocchi, fish, tons of good wine, and inventive dishes. There is also a home-made ice cream place on the road that leads from Ave. Piura down to the beach that is to die for. They have all these tropical fruit flavors from the jungle that are delicious, but I think the mango and coconut are best.



We ate ceviche at the places on the beach and got really sick for a few days, like couldn‘t leave the bathroom sick, so I wouldn’t recommend eating there even though it looks tempting.

Probably nobody else will need this information, but in case you do, there is a veterinarian in town who has a clinic in one of the houses in the mouth of the currently dry river. It’s called Clinica Veterinaria Mancora, and her name is Dr. Frano Benko. Tel: 01-981050299 email: franobenko@hotmail.com

For those of you who know what a sucker I am for animals, no, I didn’t get another pet. The guardian at our house found a little puppy and then tied her to a tree in the backyard without any food and pays absolutely no attention to her whatsoever. Zach and I made a dog run for her in the backyard so she’s not perpetually pinned to the tree yelping, picked half a dozen ticks off her, gave her a flea bath, and have been feeding and training her, but despite our best efforts the poor thing was absolutely crawling with fleas.

It was incredibly inhumane and made training her difficult since she couldn’t stop scratching
for even 10 seconds, so we found this veterinarian and bought her flea prevention. I was hoping to find something like Revolution or Frontline, but instead we were given a syringe with a needle and a spray bottle. Once we got home we had to give her a shot in between her shoulder blades and then spray her entire body with a liquid. So far, she looks much better and doesn’t seem to be suffering anymore so it was definitely money well spent. She really is a sweet little puppy and I know I’m going to be sad leaving her knowing that she’s not going to be taken care of at all.

What Happened Tim Burton

One of the wonderful and unexpected advantages to living in Ecuador is the massive video stores stocked with bootleg movies that you can purchase for $1 each, or for 6 for $5. Sure, the cds have the title written in felt pen across the chipping silver paint and are packaged in what looks like glued together plastic dividers from lunch meat or cheese slices, and occasionally the shadows of people getting up for more popcorn wander across the screen, or the English subtitles don’t work, but for $1 to see the newest releases only days in the theater who can really complain? So I was thrilled to find Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland nestled on a shelf in my neighborhood pirate shop and quickly purchased it with the lone Sacagawea coin pulled from the depths of my pocket, hungry for the visual and intellectual feast I was about to consume.

All I have to say now that it is over and the credits are running is how the hell did you mess up Alice In Wonderland, Tim Burton? The story was already there, all you had to do was follow it. Why did you make Alice, the precocious, delightful, curious girl into a boring, unmotivated idiot? How does that even happen? Whoever told you your vision was brilliant should be fired. You had all these great characters at your disposal and you just ignored them. The butterfly thing at the end? Lame. The Madhatter’s jig at the end? Lame. Alice’s jig at the end, even lamer. Why did you make Alice grow and shrink over and over again? Once was enough. Tim Burton, you turned the Madhatter into a ninja. A ninja. The March Hare just threw things, the Queen wasn’t scary, Anne Hathaway’s little wrist flopping was distracting and irritating, there was no sense of peril, magic, or wonder at all. So disappointing. The only redeeming quality for the whole thing was that it only cost a dollar. Thank you Ecuadorian bootleggers.