Sorry for the delay between post we have been in Quito for the past week taking in the sits, we will try to catch up on the blogging. Before we got to Otavalo we made a few stops, one night in Cotacachi, to see the famous leather goods. Not just jackets and paints, but hats, bags and even ponchos in leather. As for pricing it was ok but I think we can get the same stuff maybe better styles for just a little more at Daniel leather back home. Ji picked up a poncho as you can see in the picture taken in front of Cuicocha lake. The 3000 meter high crater lake is about 20 minutes out side of Cotacachi. Funny story, when we arrived it cost $2 each to enter, when we gave him a twenty, he told us he had no change (this is a national park) we told him "thats all we have" he then tell us to head back into town to get change, the gas light was on in the Sienna and I told him if we go back to town we not coming back. So I told him to charge us the child price .50 cents each and he agreed so we scrambled all the loose change we including the Panama made .25 cent that he mentioned he might be docked for taking that coin or something to that effect.
Otavalo, is a pretty indigenous town that is famous for its Saturday market, people from the nearby villages bring products from wool sweaters, hats, ponchos to cows, pigs, and ginny pigs. The animal market was pretty neat but as for the clothing I have mixed feelings. Ji bought a scarf from a shop the worker was removing all the tags as to hide the fact its made in China. Other shops we entered the workers seem to be working away knitting but the products they sold looked nothing like they were making. To me it looked like a show hiding the fact things were made in china. I don't mind buying China stuff, but please don't try to fool us! shame on you Otavalo market. Don't get me wrong I am sure not everything they sold was made in Asia. those product marked made in Ecuador. Enough of my ranting, next is the capital of Ecuador Quito.
