Otavalo

Whilst we were in Quito, we thought it would be worthwhile visiting Otavalo (two hours north of Quito) - a town which holds the biggest market in Ecuador, where hundreds of indigenous Ecuadorians come to sell their goods. 

The market was a maze of stalls, selling all kinds of alpaca wool goods, local art work, jewellery and the usual tourist knick knacks. Most notable about the market however was that unlike others we have been to, the quality of the items was fantastic. We were tempted by lots and walked away with a cosy alpaca throw, a couple of paintings, an alpaca scarf, a silver ring and a cute little alpaca jumper for Simon's nephew, Xavier.

Another thing worth mentioning is the pie shop we visited to keep our hunger pangs at bay, and the trip to Otavalo would have been worthwhile just for this even if the market itself had been rubbish. I had an apple and cinnamon pie whilst Simon went for the blackberry pie. Huge portions and delicious.

We returned to Quito with several kilograms more baggage and feeling several kilograms heavier, but very satisfied.