Otavalo: The best shopping in Ecuador

We (Las Chicas)  went to Otavalo for one thing: shopping.

Otavalo is a town two hours from Quito and has the largest outdoor market in Ecuador (you can get there easily by hopping on a bus from the Carcelen bus station in Quito). The market sells all the typical touristy things: fuzzy sweaters, alpaca scarves, and minion hats, but food and many other day-to-day necesites can be purchased as well. One of my favourite parts about Ecuador is all the fruit that look like they come from Neopets (perhaps one day I´ll photograph and show them all). Bartering at the market is a necesity. I bought Ecuador pants, Ecuador dungarees, Ecuador headbands, and a flamboyant pink alpaca poncho (best purchase ever).

Fig 1. Paintings and bowls and sweaters being sold at the market.

Before we even made it to Otavalo I made an important culinary discovery at the bus station in Quito: humidas con queso. This is essentially a tamale stuffed with cheese. To my disappointment, I did not find any guinea pigs at the Otavalo market, alive or roasted. However, that day, I did try snail. I can´t say much for this delicacy either. Texture like a booger and tastes like dirt.

We spent the Saturday morning shopping and returned to Quito for the afternoon. I, for the first time, went to a latin club. Unfortunately the music wasn’t salsa, but a very friendly group of Ecuadorians welcomed us into their dance circle and I had a blast anyway. I love how Latin Americans know how to dance.Que suave.

The next morning we went to Parque Carolina, one of the largest parks in Quito. It is filled with vendors selling all sorts of fast foods and people playing almost every ball sport you could name. What made my day was we ran into a dance group doing salsa, bachata, and rueda, and I finally got my Latin dance fix.