Last weekend I had a pleasant weekend in Otavalo and Mindo,
just north of Quito
city. It was great to get out of Puente 3 (Bridge 3) and have a look around
some other places. It was also very nice
to escape the diesel smog in Quito
as I have been suffering from Trachyitis for the past 10 days. Renata and Sander (a Dutch couple also living
with my host family) were good company on this trip and I was grateful for
their organization and assistance. They have
traveled extensively through Asia, Australia
and New Zealand
and I have learned a few travel tips from them.
In Otavalo I brought myself a brand new hand made felt
fedora hat for about $9. It is excellent
in the rain. After spending the morning
in the animal and artisan markets in Otavalo, which have all manner of woven and knitted goods, in many bright colours in the indigenous indian style, we caught a bus to a nearby pretty
lake under the shadow of a volcano and then on to Mindo. A two hour bus trip in
Ecuador
costs $USD 2.00.
