Tuesday 9th May 2017
Equator. Otavalo
Drove through Ecuador. Very green mountainous countryside
with views of the base of volcanos, masked by cloud. Stopped off at the Equator for the usual
touristy pictures of feet either side of the northern and southern
hemisphere. Given an interesting talk
about the location of ancient buildings, placed exactly on the location of the
rising sun at the spring and autumn equinox. The ancient civilisations clearly
were very advanced in their thinking. Also the churches in Quito, which were
all built over the original temples, all line up to match the summer
solstice. We bought a dvd explaining the
science, including the links to the star systems of the hemispheres.
I used the banos and tried the Coriolis Effect (see whether the water would drain counterclockwise, clockwise or straight down). It went straight down, but that was
probably just the design of the sink. Had to be done!
On to Otavalo for some serious shopping. This town was never conquered and managed to
keep its artisan roots. En-route we
stopped off for some coffees and the Ecuadorian version of biscotti. Then an entrepreneurial lady boarded the bus,
explained her dress and different ways to wear her shawl (usual thing that
different styles for single or married). After a short song, she then produced
a couple of bags of scarfs and pashminas and sold a batch to us all as the bus
continued its route. We dropped her off
at the next town – great way to do business.
Once at Otavalo, we all disappeared into a lovely big market full of
textiles and crafts. After some haggling I managed to buy a couple of
tablecloths and a pashmina.
We then continued to Cotacachi, a town known for its
leather-work. As soon as we left the bus
we were accosted by a man selling belts and Iain bought a couple. We wandered through town through a batch of
shops selling bags, jackets, saddles, shoes etc and bought some more bits for
souvenirs. Belts only cost $8. After an
exhausting days’ shopping we found a café selling beers and indulged.
Stayed at Hacienda Pinsaqui, a family-run historical
building, where Simon Bolivar had stayed (in Ed and Jude’s room). Our room had a huge window which was popping
out and seemed to be more at home on HMS Victory. It was also on three levels with an ancient
bathroom (free standing bath) on the lower level and a small single bed
loft. I liked the old rooms and open
wood fireplaces, Iain hated it! We had a
welcome meeting in the old stables with cheese nibbles and a cocktail,
entertained by five guys wearing the traditional white trousers and shirts and
white shoes, playing guitars, pan pipes and unfortunately a recorder. They were pretty average and failed miserably
in selling any CDs. The owner gave a
little speech of welcome then we all trooped into dinner. Although a very posh
hotel, our meal of pork in traditional spices was quite dry. Soup of sweet
potato, with avocado and cheese was nice.
A nice bonus was that we had hotwater bottles put into the
bed, as it was quite cold (still at altitude).
No comments:
Post a Comment