Faces of Otavalo

 

 

 

 

 

Otavalo is only about 48 km from Quito as the crow flies, the road however is considerably longer and takes about 2 hours by car. The main part of the population in the area is indígenas (indigenous people). They mostly live in nearby villages, dress primarily in traditional attire. Men with dark felt hats, short cotton pants, blue ponchos and long ponytails. Women braid their hair and wear frilly, embroidered white blouses, long black skirts, fachalinas (headcloths) and bright layered necklaces.

Otavaleños are the wealthiest and most commercially successful indígenas in Ecuador with a long tradition for weaving and woodcarving and Otavalo is  Ecuador’s most popular destination outside of the Galápagos.

Sunday - at the other part of the Otavalo Market

 The colours in this market are exceptional!

 

When you are dehydrated and hungry from all that shopping - enjoy fresh coconut milk and fried fish.

Other stuff for sale in the animal market

Ice-cream, anyone?

Or shoes? Good luck finding a pair! Or is it a shoe-scramble?

Refreshing watermelon?

Someone parallel parked their llama!

Otavalo Animal Market - the small stuff

We've yet to try Cui (=guinea pig) - but they
are clearly in big demand in this market

Plump specimen!

These need some fattening up

These are for pets - or watchdogs?

Scrawny kitttens and doves

Many different kinds and sizes of birds, too

Otavalo Animal Market - Part 1

On Saturday, we left home at 6:15 am to arrive in Otavalo in time for the animal market. We were there by 8:00 am. We stood on a hill to get an overview. The market was teeming with life. Lots of squealing and bawling of animals.

In the jungle

From Quito's mountainous year round spring like weather one can go by car within a few hours to freezing alpine climate, to coastal tropical or to steamy jungle. This past weekend we made our first visit with a group of friends to the Amazon basin.

The drive takes you over a pass east of Quito to a height of 4,300 meters and then down, down a winding mountain road which over about 75 km brings you to an altitude of 600 meters.

This eastern side of the Andes mountain range is lush and green and the views over the amazon basin unbelievable beautiful. This is where the melting ice from the snow covered volcanoes and the heavy rainfalls trickles down in streams that gathers into the tributaries of the mighty Amazon River.

One of those tributaries is the Napo river in the Napo province, capital city isTena. from here it would be possible to go by river all the way to the end of the Amazon river. What an adventure that would be, put it on the bucket list.

Our destination this time, however, was a small cottage resort a few kilometres outside Tena. The place is owned by a Belgian couple and they have named the place hakuna matata, an unlikely name here as it is Swahili and means "There is no worries". The name fits the place perfectly, though, truly a place to lay back in the hammocks and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the jungle


Endless beautiful jungle

The arrival over a swaying hanging bridge and a pretty rough stretch of jungle path to Hakuna Matata set the pace for the stay. 

hanging bridge crossing the river

The group on the hardship jungle trip

And then it becomes rather luxurious with the hammocks and the warm pool to soak in


not a bad place for a day or two

start of the Amazon river

There are trails all around, slippery and muddy for sure as every afternoon, almost at exact same time a thunder storm with heavy rain comes through. Beautiful walks, lots of colours, birds, and its told snakes, although they always disappears before you see them.

sunrise outside our hut

parasite plants growing on tree, beautiful

cacao tree with fruit




The sun set from Hakuna Matata. The big light switch is pulled and within 10 - 15 minutes it goes from day to tropical night with sounds one has to be there to appreciate.
So to stay with the Swahili of this jungle far away from East Africa 'Karibu Sana'

Guaguas de pan y colada morada

guaguas de pan baked in school cafeteria
ready to serve to all staff


 

Juan David, one of our computer geniuses, with colada morada
and guagua de pan

This morning all staff at school were invited to share guaguas de pan and colada morada in the cafeteria. This was the explanation of the tradition, sent out to us:

On November 2nd, All Souls Day is celebrated in Ecuador with unique manifestations of religious syncretism. Throughout the country people visit the memorial parks to honor their departed. Indigenous communities massively visit cemeteries keeping an old pagan tradition of taking along the favorite food dishes to share with their loved ones by their graves.

They eat quietly and slowly in a solemn ceremony, sharing food among the families. Some of them circulate around the cemetery exchanging foods. They give food as a reward for those who pray for their departed.

The ancient belief is that the soul visits its relatives during these days and should have plenty of food to be fed and be able to continue further on its journey to the afterlife.

The typical food for All Souls Day is “guaguas de pan”, accompanied by a beverage called “colada morada”. These foods have a remote origin in the Incas, who offered their gods their bodies and blood in sacrifice ceremonies.

“Guaguas de pan” is bread baked in the shaped of child figurines decorated with pastry frosting. “Guagua” is the Quichua word for “child”.

“Colada morada” is a drink of a variety of berries with other exotic fruits and spices that give this beverage its purplish color.

 

It was delicious!!!