Excursions
Otavalo is arguably the best market in South America. It is just 94km (58 miles) from Quito and a fantastic drive through remarkable volcanic landscapes. The main market is Saturday but there is a market every day that is just as good for the beautiful traditional work that is on sale. Otavalenos are famed principally for their textiles (rugs, weavings, ponchos, scarves and wraps), but there are also carvings, jewellery, bags, clothing, fruit and vegetables, corn and a lot of guinea pigs! Even if you’re not buying, it is fascinating to see the stall holders themselves in their traditional costumes – men with long plaits, ponchos and cut-off white trousers, women in embroidered blouses and row upon row of beaded necklaces. It is also the best place to buy a Panama hat (it came from Ecuador originally), soft enough to roll up and keep in a cardboard tube.
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