Day 128 - Otavalo, Ecuador

OTAVALO MARKET (09/05/09)

The streets were packed with people (suprisingly few gringos) buying and selling everything from live pigs to panama hats.

The food market had an amazing array of locally grown produce.

Unfortunately not having a kitchen meant that we couldn´t try any of the delicious looking fresh vegetables although Adam did buy some strange green fruit which turned out to be very nice. We weren´t tempted by the whole cooked pigs, teeth and all.

Maize forms a large part of the diet of the indigenous people.

Another part of the market sold incredible hand woven textiles.

The stall holders sit there all day stringing beads.

Many stalls were selling the famously mis-named Panama hats which actually originated in the town of Montecristi in Ecuador.

Liz found it very amusing that this stall holder had to make Adam bend right over to adjust the ribbon on this hat. Reasonably priced as they were Adam came to the reluctant conclusion that one of these hats wouldn´t survive another eight months travel.

A stall with traditional ladies blouses.

Having looked around several stalls Adam finally found a Llama wool jumper (or chompa as the locals like to call them) which he liked. Never one to jump hastily into a purchase he haggled with the stall holder before telling her he would come back. Five minutes later walking around some other stalls he felt a tug on the back of his shirt and turning round found this little girl, jumper in hand, offering an even lower price. Luckily he was planning on going back to buy the jumper because he wouldn´t have been able to say no anyway.

Whilst we were walking around we heard these unusual pedestrians coming up behind us. It was quite incredible that one man could herd all these birds through the busy streets without losing any.

There were many interesting and colourful characters around.

Liz decided not to buy this hat.

Adam tried to trade Liz in, but they weren´t having any of it!