Otavalo

Once we gathered our bags from school we made our way to the bus station to catch a bus to the north bus terminal where the buses to Otavalo leave. When we got off the bus and cross the street towards the terminal a man standing by a bus that was leaving yelled at our group asking if we were going to Otavalo. None of us were really sure if we should just get onto the bus or if we needed to buy a ticket from the station before getting on, but the man insisted that there was enough room for everyone and that we should hurry and get on. We all jumped on the bus and off we went. Once on the bus everyone began sitting in the empty seats, but Nate, Isaac and I were left standing. The bus driver’s assistant/money collector that had said that he was sure there was enough space said there were seats at the front. Once we got to the front he told us to sit on a ledge/bench behind the driver. It was extremely cramped but the three of us managed to hop over the gear box and sit down. He moved the driver’s seat forward so that I could put my legs between the driver’s seat and the ledge we were sitting on. We had a great view of the road and could see everything, which was really scary at times when we were driving near cliffs of the mountain and the driver was talking on his phone. It was really dangerous for us to be sitting there; if the bus would’ve hit anything I’m certain that the three of us would have flown through the windshield. Fortunately, the two-hour ride went by without any problems and we arrived safely in Otavalo.

When we arrived our large group broke up into two different groups: one group that wanted to stay in town for the night and another that wanted to stay at a place further out of town, but was supposed to be beautiful. Eight others and I chose the latter. We all decided to try to find a store where we could find beverages for us to enjoy that evening. Electricity in the area is really expensive so a lot of stores closed at sundown and many stayed open with candlelight. We walked into a store that was completely dark, but the people working had a flashlight. They directed us towards their drink section and we chose a few things and paid basically in the dark. It was a really bizarre experience. Once we located a taxi stand we separated our group into three small groups for the ride to the hostel, which was about a 15-minute cab ride. After being on buses all afternoon we were all really hungry and couldn’t wait to have dinner. The day before Mallory had called and they had a special where for $12.00 we could stay for the night and it would include dinner and breakfast, so it was a great deal! For dinner we had garlic cheese bread, pasta with meat sauce, and fruit for dessert. It was a really big change from all of the rice and corn meals that we are already accustomed to. After dinner we all went to our cabin, which was a huge room with 10 bunk beds in it. We moved the table into the room and we all sat around it and played some card games and other games for a few hours. It was really fun and I feel like I know everyone in the group a lot more now.

In the morning we got ready and had breakfast, which was just bread and tea/coffee. We all decided afterwards that we wanted to walk to a nearby waterfall and then we would go to the market area. The walk to the waterfall took longer than the expected 25 minutes because we stopped along the way to check the map to make sure we were going the right way and take pictures. On the way there was a long rock driveway leading to a house and with the hills in the background it looked like we were in Tuscany. We eventually made it to the waterfall and it was a really cool! It’s the first natural waterfall that I had ever been to. We put our feet into the water and it was ice cold! Sam and I decided that we were going to go in the water and stand under the waterfall. I can’t describe how cold the water was. We could literally only stand under it for a couple of seconds before having to move out of the way and it was almost impossible to breathe. It was really exhilarating and I’m really glad that we decided to do it. We got dressed and our group began our trek back up the path to the hostel. Once we arrived we packed up all of our things, paid, and waited for the taxi van to pick us up. The driver was really nice and gave us great advice about restaurants and things to do. By the time we arrived to the market area we were pretty hungry so Sam, Brittany, Dane, Anna, and I went to the taxi driver’s favorite restaurant called “El Otavalito.” We decided to try chicha, which is a local fermented corn drink, which the driver also recommended. It was really interesting, but surprisingly tasty. I had trout with shrimp and potatoes and it was delicious! After lunch we headed out to the market where the locals sell anything and everything. A few people got jewelry, clothes, and hats. I forgot my sunglasses in Minnesota, so I picked up a pair for five dollars—I thought it was pretty reasonable considering the starting price was $12.00. After we walked around a little longer and saw the historical part of Otavalo we found a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the bus terminal. After talking to him he recommended that we go to a different bus stop and just get on any bus that didn’t say Otavalo (or another place I don’t recall the name of). The second bus that came by didn’t say Otavalo or the other place on it so we hopped on. I’m not sure why or how, but the ride back was way faster, so the taxi driver was right, it’s way faster picking up a random bus on the road then going to the bus terminal and getting on a bus. I had a great time in Otavalo and look forward to future trips here in Ecuador!