Exploring Otavalo, Part 1 of 3: In Town

Now that I've arrived safely in Arequipa, Peru it is well past time that I posted about all the amazing places I explored near Otavalo, Ecuador. Otavalo has plenty to do and see, and I'll recount it in three parts.

This is part 1 of 3: In Town

SHOPPING
Artisan Market. One of the primary tourist attractions in Otavalo is the astonishingly large open market. Bright colors seems to be the recurring theme. If you're looking for brightly-colored tapestries or any variety of clothing, handbags, hammocks or household accessories made from the same tapestries, you'll be in heaven here. Beaded jewelry is also prevalent, and silver with coral, turquoise and other embedded stones. Cotton and wool weavings, bright paintings, mass-produced touristy carvings, and of course ponchos are always available. During the week, the market is large but manageable in a few hours of browsing. The Saturday market swells to fill most of the north end of the city, with products from throughout South America. The prices are a bit higher on Saturdays because the throngs of tourists fill the plaza on the weekends.


Farmers Market. In addition to the enormous artisanal market, slightly to the southwest you'll find Otavalo's farmers market substantial and well worth browsing. Though you could purchase daily necessities from the large supermarkets around town, the food is fresher and less expensive at the farmers market. With the other GVI volunteers I made several trips to the market to purchase fruits, vegetables and meat for our schools.

DINING
Because most of our meals were provided by our host families, We generally only visited restaurants for snacks, coffee and drinks. Occasionally, all the volunteers would gather at a restaurant for a going-away party as well. Some favorite places:

Deli Cafe-Restaurant. I love this place. At the corner of Bolivar and Quiroga, this quasi-Mexican restaurant has good food and a nice coffee-shop feel, and the coffee is the best in all of Otavalo (real espresso served strong!) But the most important characteristic of this shop is the amazingly friendly owner, Yolanda. She also has a room for rent above the restaurant, and her son has two additional rooms in Quito. If I ever return to Otavalo for any length of time, I will try to arrange a stay with her. www.delicaferestaurant.com

The Sanduche Shop. It's not the real name for the place, but that's what is is listed as on the GVI volunteer map, and that's what we called it. On Bolivar between Salinas and Morales, this little shop has enormous sandwiches, nice little pizzas, local breakfasts, a deli counter full of cheese, and shelves full of imported goods. And chocolate! In this miraculous little place we could buy gold-foil wrapped perfection one bite at a time. Or for $0.40, about three bites worth depending of the size of your bite. Yum.

Shenandoah, or the Pie shop. On the south end of Plaza de Los Ponchos you'll find a row of shops and restaurants targeting tourists. The GVI crowd meets at the Pie Shop for, you guessed it, pie, every Sunday night to welcome new volunteers. The project manager Tracy makes a little speech and everyone introduces themselves... and we gorge on $1 slices of chocolate, strawberry, babaco or other fruity pies made fresh each day in the back of the shop. There's also ice cream but everyone comes in for the pie.

Buena Vista. Also on the south end of the Plaza de Los Ponchos, this tourist-friendly (and somewhat expensive) restaurant has a great balcony view of the Plaza. Don't bother with the sandwiches but the nachos are amazing. I often sat on the balcony with a cup of tea in the afternoon to do my Spanish homework or plan lessons for school. Its comfortable, if you don't mind the price tag.

Sahara. This great little home-town place is a chill 2nd-floor bar that only serves beer, and the seating is either at the bar or at pillows on the floor around little candle-lit tables. I didn't see any other tourists; just locals. My kinda place. It's on Bolivar a few blocks south of Parque Bolivar.

NEXT: Nearby Adventures