Otavalo

So I am going to try to do an entry every friday, but when something really cool happens I´ll put a post up in the middle of the week.

This weekend the group and I went to the city of Otavalo for the world renowned market. For Chicagoans, thinks of Otavalo as Maxwell Street, just replace the stolen radios with handmade rugs.

(the center of the Otavalo market, the rest of the market goes on for blocks)

The trip was filled with far more than Otavalo as we stopped for Bischotti at a hole in the wall restraunt before. After the market we stayed at a fantastic bed and breakfast called La Casa Sol. Filled with walls as colorful as the market, delcious food, and incredibly hot showers everyone in the group loved it.

Our program director, Maria, really seems to find the best and most interesting spots for us. The morning after our comfortable night, she took us to see the other side of Otavalo. We went to a rural house where the family makes blankets and other trinkets that are sold at the market. The house seemed comfortable, but far from what anyone would consider acceptable in the US. And finally, we hiked around a lake, in the middle of a 3 million year old volcano, and yes, it was as cool as it sounds.

It was a fantastic weekend, filled with the most fantastic views I´ve ever seen. I can´t wait to see what else this beautiful country has to offer.

(a view from one of the may stops in our trip)