We heard the Otavalo Market was a must on Saturday so we arranged a car to drive us about two hours outside the city to the largest outdoor market in South America. Locals know the market at Plaza de los Ponchos and it is open everyday with Saturday being the busiest. It was also a holiday weekend (All Soul’s Day) so the market was full of tourist and locals. On the way we stoped at Mira Lago to see views of the lake and the Imbabura Volcano. There were two playful llamas in the viewing area.
There were numerous stalls selling a myriad of crafts, from jewelers, wooded carvings, woolen goods and wide variety of food choices. (We bought a few handmade textiles and necklaces.) In addition to goods, there’s a live stock market nearby for purchasing llamas, goats, sheep, and mo. The bread we tasted was outstanding!
We stopped for lunch at Kimbala in the town of Cotacachi. It was a favorite of our driver; here we learned that the popcorn on the table is to eat while waiting for the food to arrive and to add to the soup appetizer. Afterwards, we walked around the town famous for its leather products.
Before heading back to Quito, we made one last stop in the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve. The reserve is internationally known because it is a bio-region with both the Andes Mountains and coastal rainforest. The reserve has volcanic lakes, hot springs, waterfalls and the Cotacachi Volcano within its 750,000 acres. We did not have time for the 8-day guided walk so we visited the museum and took a short hike to the offering site.
