Otavalo part 1: tours and lagunas

From Mindo we travelled back to Quito and from there to Papallacta (2 hours) for a day at the best thermal springs in Ecuador. The weather was terrible and the road likewise. We got to Papallacta ok and checked in at Hostal Coturpa - we were the only guests and were attended to by two extremely young boys the whole time we were there. The whole thing felt a bit strange, really, including being served breakfast by two male teenagers!! It rained all the time and the whole place was covered in mist. Given that the purpose of the trip was the hot springs, the horrible weather was of no consequence, or maybe even of better consequence. We went to the balneario at around 5 pm and stayed in the hot waters under the rain for a good 2-3 hours. The next day we took a bus back to Quito and from there straight to Otavalo, Ecuador's mecca for artesania and indigenous culture.

Otavalo is a pleasant town and the people here seem extremely polite and happy. They are always smiling at you and are very friendly. This is the region where the local indigenous population have managed to become a majority also in the economic sense. They tend to be less poor than in other parts of the country and retain a very strong and proud sense of their traditions. Most men have waist-long plaited hair and the women generally wear a traditional costume in their daily lives.

Yesterday we took a tour with the Runa Tupari agency - it is a community-run agency which also places tourists with local families for both tourism and cultural exchange. We booked a day tour with them to see the local artisans as well as a quick visit to the laguna Cuicocha and also a night with a family for Saturday night after the market. Otavalo is the home of the biggest market in South America, and this is tomorrow!! By coincidence there is also a festival starting tonight called Yamor, so we are about to have a very busy 24 hours...
Anyways! The tour yesterday was good. Our guide, David, came to meet us at the hotel in splendid white shirt and long black plaited hair - only 20 years old! He took us around to visit a family producing totora reed mats, a musical instruments workshop and a wool-processing and poncho family business. Then we went to Cotacachi for a splendid lunch and finally to see the Cuicocha lake. Cotacachi is a small town famous for its leather goods and I couldn´t resist buying a nice posh leather handbag for the whole of $16!!

Today we went with the hostel´s tour offer up to the Laguna Mojanda, which is a volcanic lake set at 3,600 m. From there we walked up to the Fuya Fuya mountain to 4,200 meters. We got lucky with the weather and it was a great day hike. We are staying at the Hostal Rincon del Viajero and it is very good. They have a lovely terrace and a pool table and last night we stayed up till 1 in the morning playing - Gregory still wins.

So now we are ready for the mass party....

Tour with Runa Tupari and David

Cotocachi

Laguna Cuicocha

Fuya Fuya from the bottom

Going up...

And Laguna Mojanda from the top of Fuya Fuya