Juan Carlos
had drawn a simplified map and as
we drove he talked about the
different regions, the history and
the natural resources. On the way we
stopped at Mira Lago, a great look out
for a volcano and a lake near it. We
also took pictures with a little boy
in traditional dress sitting with an alpaca. On the way
to Otovalo we stopped
at on old hacienda built in the 1600's and now
used as a hotel
and restaurant. A very cool old colonial building
with gardens, a small chapel and
peacocks in the courtyard.
Simon Bolivar stayed there at
one time and we
were able to see the room he stayed in. The most
striking feature was a gorgeous porcelain sink. We were met
by a small group
of musicians, had a nice lunch
with time to look around the house and
grounds after. The market in the city of Otovalo is
run by the indigenous people with
things that are supposedly made
locally. But so many people have
the exact same stuff, it makes you
wonder and I did see some
gloves labeled, made in China. But
there is lots of beautiful
stuff made from alpaca, there
was jewelry and many other things.
I bought a poncho, I made
the lady swear that she had
done the crochet around the
edges. I bought a bracelet from
a man making them from
old silver forks. He curls the
tines around to the sides, bends the
fork into a circle and adds a
semi precious stone. I also
bought a pair of earrings from
a beautiful blue-eyed young man who
was bending and weaving copper
wire with just 2 pliers. The pair
I bought also have a small piece
of shell in each one.
From Otovalo we
traveled to Cotacachi, a city that is
known for their leather work. Some of
the people went in search of
jackets, purses and shoes. I went
down a side street, found some cool
glass art and a big church.
The churches here do not have the
candles sitting around for
you to buy. There are small
tables by the different shrines so you
can bring a candle and light it instead. We
were to meet Juan Carlos and
the bus in one of the city
squares, on my way back I stumbled
onto the street where there were
shops of people making purses. I
talked my way into a couple to look
at the machines. Lots of jukis,
consews and sun stars. I lost track of
time and had to hustle back to the
bus, why I bothered I don't know because
there are one or two in the group who
are always
back to the bus. No excuses or apologies,
just 37 people waiting on them.
The
whole group tour has its pros and
cons. Margaret has done a wonderful
job planning, I don't have to worry
about hotels or flights. Our tour
director is fantastic, he takes care of
all the details and we see and learn
things we would not on our own.
The draw backs are the things that
try my patience. Juan Carlos tells us
what the plan is, what time we
need to be where, what we
are going to see or do. Immediately
after, people ask him what time, where and
how, like they were on the moon when
he explained things. Then there are the
people who are totally unaware of
others, they'll walk right in front of
you while you are trying to take a
picture, push to the front when
everybody is waiting, walk on everybody
else’s feet getting in the panga. And of
course there is the time factor. We
have gotten up early everyday to start and
when we get somewhere we have only a specific
amount of time. Overall, it's a good group
and the better I know Margaret, the better
I like her.
After the leather town
we drove some miles to the home of some
indigenous musicians who are, coincidentally, friends
of Juan Carlos. It was pretty cool
though, one of the women did a
demonstration of how they make variations
of what I'd call pan pipes from
bamboo. She played a couple other
instruments, including a rain stick.
Then she was joined by a man with
guitar and another woman with a drum. Juan Carlos
joined them on guitar and they sang a
few folk songs. Then we had the opportunity
to buy a CD or some of the
instruments. They were hanging on the wall
along side an armadillo, which unfortunately for me, was
not for sale. As we got on the
bus the littlest old lady in traditional
dress and bare feet appeared looking beatific
and pathetic at the same time. I
got off and gave her a few
dollars. Sometimes I still miss my sweet grannie,
Marie.
We got back after 8 PM
and had to be up at 3:30 for
our flight to the Galapagos. I
ordered a grilled ham and cheese from
Room service and sorted and packed. The hotel in
Quito agreed to store bags for us so
we could leave behind all the warm
clothes we will need for Peru and
travel lighter to the ship. The weather
has been overcast but warm, I've been
comfortable in shorts and tees. On Friday it was
hazy in the morning but most of it burned
off and it has been a lovely day.
When I mentioned to Margaret that everyone seems so nice,
she said that if people are a pain in the ass,
somehow the emails about the next years
trip never seem to reach them.
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