Otavalo is a cute and not so quiet town that lies two hours north of Quito. Its claim to fame is its renowned Saturday market. The market snakes through the streets for 15 square blocks or more. The market alone draws thousands of tourists every Saturday, but Otavalo has done what it can to compliment the market by refurbishing the city. The sidewalks have (probably) been reconstructed using multi-colored tiles laid in a beautiful pattern; decorative lampposts with metal statuettes adorning the lights line the main streets; trees have been planted along the walk; and the cobblestone streets are all in excellent condition. Combined, it makes for an exciting (when you’re in the market) and pleasant (when you leave the market) visit.
I went to Otavalo to shop for Christmas, and I was able to complete all of my shopping in four hours (a Jeff Record), spend less, and buy the best gifts I have ever given for Christmas (I think, but the jury is still out). Otavalo was also the most interactive holiday shopping experience. Consider a typical interaction:
I am walking down the street when I see a painting that I like at a booth. I approach the booth and within five seconds the vender apparates from thin air and says, ‘a tu orden, señor’ (or something like that), which is roughly translated to ‘at your service, sir.’ I then play the hard to get customer and act rather disinterested as the vender explains why his product is so incredible, how the work is genuinely his own, etc. When it comes time to barter, I ask the price, and he gives some exorbitantly overpriced amount, but says, ‘para tí, una discuensita especial’ (for you, a special discount). I offer half. He acts insulted, and comes down by one dollar. I say, ‘no’ and begin to walk away. He asks me to wait, offers a lower price, and when I again start to walk away, he asks me to make another offer. Yada yada yada…you get the idea. Eventually we agree on a price that is usually 33% lower than the original.
Is that a good price? I have no idea. But at least it is better, and I feel like I have won!
The other wonderful thing about Otavalo is that my host-family is originally from there. So in addition to visiting the market, we visited the abuelos (grandparents), and primos (cousins). The abuelos are absolutely adorable. They are in their 80s, can barely see and hear (it appears), and yet they own a costume shop. Yeah. A costume shop with rabbit, bear, superman, unicorn, etc. costumes in Otavalo. It seems crazy to me, but apparently during the high season (November and December), they bring in $1000/day in revenue, and profit $300/day. Incredible! Somehow they manage.
Finally, Ashley (an American friend who came with me) and I went to a ‘magical’ tree called ‘el lechero;’ it has milk in its leaves and branches, and while most lecheros live for five years and then die, this one has been alive for a hundred (?) years or so. Anyway, we were expecting some mystical or mouth dropping experience at this ‘huge’ tree and tourist attraction. To get there, we hopped in the back of a pick-up and drove the couple of miles out of town. Of course, being Ecuador, there were no signs leading the way nor at the actual site itself. When the truck stopped, the driver told us to walk through some farm fields to the tree. After a five minute walk, we came to a tree that we assume was el lechero, but it was rather unimpressive. It did have milk in the leaves though. But the view was incredible, and for the first time in 2.5 months, I finally had some peace and quiet to just relax. Did I mention that we were the only two at the tree?
So that was my trip last weekend. One day, zero nights, four hours on the bus, 8 hours in Otavolo, two abuelos and one prima, one unimpressive tree, one awesome market, and one fabulous time!
Hasta la proxima vez.
Jeff
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