Otavalo and environs

Since my wife, Barbara, and I had previously planned to visit the famous Saturday market in Otavalo, Ecuador (90 kilometers north of Quito), we opted to use Hotel Ali Shungu (www.alishungu.com) for a 4-day January ’06 stay and do day trips from there.

Located within town but on the edge of the business district toward the northeast corner, the Ali Shungu is at the corner of Quito and Miguel Egas. It is operated by a couple of expats, Frank and Margaret. Doubles were $40 (don’t forget the 22% tax and service), with no meals included. We reserved a room before we left the U.S.

The restaurant in the hotel is “pricey,” by local standards, but very, very good. They feature lots of organically grown produce, with some good vegetarian recipes. Our bell pepper stuffed with ground meat was the best we’ve ever had. The meal cost us around $23, including beverages and tip (beer for me, fruit juice for Barbara).

Many restaurants in downtown Otavalo offer fixed menus for less than $2 a person. You won’t be stuffed, but it’s adequate.

The Saturday market is an event you won’t forget, especially if you do as we did and arise before dawn to see the workings of the animal market. Lonely Planet describes the whole scene in graphic detail that needs no repeating here.

The rest of the market is an expanded version of what we witnessed at Chichicastenango, Guatemala, a couple of years back. Fifteen square blocks, starting from “Poncho Plaza” and extending south, are filled with woven textiles, wooden items, leather goods, jewelry, produce, pictures, sidewalk food vendors cooking on portable propane grills and thousands of people.

Women dress in beautifully embroidered blouses and dark skirts, shawls and woven headdresses. Men wear white, calf-length pants, gray or blue ponchos, rope sandals, hats and one pigtail.

As we moved farther to the south in the market, more of the stalls carried everyday items that would appeal to locals rather than tourists. Everything from kitchen utensils to bras to sneakers was offered in an array of styles and colors.

After the Saturday market, our location offered us easy access to two side trips.

Sunday, we were off to Cotacachi to view leather working (naturally, including some purchases) and then take a taxi ride to Laguna de Cuicocha. This lake is an ancient volcano crater that is now part of a large ecological reserve.

A modest admission of $1 allows entry to this lovely setting. There are boat rides, gift shops and a nice restaurant/hotel there. It’s a great place for hiking, although that may be best done in a group, since reports are that some hikers have been relieved of their valuables.

The Monday side trip took us to Ibarra, with a stopover at San Antonio de Ibarra, the center of Ecuadorean woodwork. A plethora of items, from small figurines to massive dining room tables, are beautifully done in cedar and walnut.

Ibarra is the provincial capital of Imbabura province. With 150,000 people, it was the largest place we visited in Ecuador outside of Quito. We found nothing noteworthy about the town, but it was clearly a bustling economic dynamo.

This was the location of the largest daily produce market that we saw. Even on a Monday it had a “weekend” atmosphere about it.

SAM KAMILOS

Carmichael, CA