The City of Needles and Threads

Otavalo is a city like no other, it blends old with new, Quechua with tourist, and beautiful handmade crafts with knock off designer jeans. The importance of Otavalo as a trading post dates back to pre-Incan times, and for hundreds of years it has held one of the most important open-air markets in South America. Every Saturday craftsmen and artisans from the surrounding Andes gather to display everything from jewelry to paintings to bootleg DVDs, and of course, the weaving. By far the most popular items in the market are the stunning cloth goods that come in every shape, size, and color. Alpaca or cotton; sweater or tablecloth; pencil case or hammock; if it is made out of thread and dye, you can find it in Otavalo. And they are beautiful, in fact the challenge here is not finding something you like, it's choosing which of the thousands of rainbow colored blankets you are going to buy.

The goods make it worth the trip, but I have to say that I found the market experience itself to be a bit much. On Saturdays the markets overflows from the Plaza del Ponchos into the surrounding streets and snakes its way through most of the small town. It is just massive, completely packed everywhere you look with cheap bead necklaces, knock off converse shoes, indigenous Quechua clothing, and some of the most random but fascinating crafts I've ever seen. The Plaza del Ponchos is a sea of colors and patterns, bursting with cloth of every type and salesmen hawking their goods. Every way is bustling with a mix of locals and tourists, all hunting for the best bargains. Everywhere you go salesmen and artisans are yelling at you in their best Spanglish and trying to draw you in with discounts and a dizzying display of brightly colored tapestries. If you're trying to induce a seizure, this would be a great place to go. Personally, I found it all a bit overwhelming. First of all, there are just so many stands with amazing works that you want to buy everything you see, but you know that there are probably 50 other stands with exactly the same stuff. How are you to make the right decision... Who has the best colors? The best patterns? The best price? Will this be unique? Will I use it? How will I bring it home?

It's really just too much for me to handle at one time, and it can be difficult to stop, because if you slow down you're likely to be swarmed by the vultures that pass for salesmen here. I really hate salesmen. When I'm shopping I just want to be left alone... just because I stop to look at something does not warrant you to start pulling everything out to show me, or asking me a million questions. If I like something I will buy it, if I want to see something or have a question, I will ask. I also feel a tremendous amount of guilt when I stop to look at things and get these artists hopes up only to walk away the next minute.

But despite all of the insanity of the surroundings, the market is definitely worth it. The finds are top-notch, unique, and beautiful. And the experience is one that is worth having, even if it's not all that enjoyable. It's very cool to see such a mix of cultures and classes all coming together in this big mixing pot of commerce. Plus we stayed with our friends Marco and Lucia, so lodging was free, we ate at their cevicheria, and after the market Marco took us to a beautiful lagoon outside of town. Doesn't get much better than that for a one day trip.

One of the streets in the Plaza de Ponchos.

Breakfast at the food market (yes there's a whole separate market just for food.)

In Ecuador, ceviche is more of a cold soup, and it's eaten with popcorn.

Me and Toby at Quicoche, the lagoon.

It was very cloudy and rainy during our trip, but that makes for a cool effect on the lake.

Those clouds really made this place seem like it was from a movie.