ECUADOR SERIES: OTAVALO, THE ARTISAN MARKET MECCA
Young Ecuadorian boy selling artisanal products for his neighbour
One of the things that fascinated me while travelling through Ecuador was its cultural diversity. Given its small population which is 4,5 million, you would not expect it to be so diverse. Did you know that there are 12 spoken languages (idioms) in Ecuador? Kichwa (Quechua), Spanish, Achuar-Shiwiar, Cha'palaachi, Cofán, Tsachila, Cuaiquer, Secoya, Shuar, Siona, Tetete, Waorani. Hats vendor in Otavalo artisan market
In the northern area of Ecuador in the provence of Imbabura, I have seen many Quechua people. They are the direct descendants of the Incas. Most of their house were made of adobe (a highly durable free and available material) and had thatched roofs or ceramic tiles. The Quechua women were wearing their traditional clothing consisting of skirts and blouses, with colourful woven shawls around their shoulders. Artisanal dolls wearing different traditional outfits
At Otavalo's Saturday market, I had a chance to see many of the artisans from the area who were selling their craft. This is the biggest artisan market in South America. Among those who attended it, I met people from Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Uruguay and Brazil. Some of them travelled all the way specially for it, whilst us we just happened to be in the area and we learnt about it. Traditional golden plastic beads, jewellery worn by most of the Indigenous Quechua women
Unlike most of the markets I have been, Otavalo's market was not selling products made in China. I was impressed to see that they were selling local products: artisanal products, art, clothing, shoes and accessories, food and live stock. Bulls' hoof or water bottle?
What made this experience even more pleasant was that you had to negotiate the price with the sellers, just like in Istambul. Each attempt to walk away from a stand brought a lower discount. Fruit merchant in Otavalo artisan market
Although the market was literally packed, with thousands of visitors, we always felt safe. No pickpocketing or any unpleasant incident. The locals were polite, friendly and curious about our ethnicities. Some of them tried to guess where we were from. Panama Hats made in Ecuador
After a few good hours of strolling down on the busy streets, hoping from one stand to another, admiring the Ecuadorian artisanal products, we felt hungry. The cold brisk air outside contributed to it. Since I did not want to try the street food, although it looked tempting, we chose a restaurant. Thus we entered a small family-owned restaurant, only a few blocks away from the market. That's where I felt in love with the Ecuadorian soups! I still remember its richness and delightful savour. Yucca, yams, otoe and corn had all infused their flavours and made my soup delicious. Jungle palm tree worms (sago worms): the larvas of a big tropical beetle eaten by the locals for their high nutritional values.
Meals are cheap everywhere around Ecuador. You can expect to pay somewhere between $3 and $6 for lunch (almuerzo del dia) which usually consists of a rich soup, a rice and chicken/beef/pork dish that comes with a salad and a freshly squeezed juice. In some places you may even get a small deserted included in this price. Keep in mind thatAlmuerzo del dia and Almuerzo ejecutivo are not the same thing and prices vary greatly. The latter refers to a more of a la carte experience which is more costly than the first one. Roasted Cuey or Guinea Pig is one dish that I had to say no to. I like Guinea pigs and I consider them pets. I could not ever eat one. I have been told they are very tasty but the whole idea made me feel bad. Not to mention that to me, they looked like skinned rats. In Ecuador, a lot of people grow them and sell them to restaurants because they are considered a delicacy. You can buy a cuey dish starting at $10 or higher, depending on the type of restaurant you are in. Here are other travel related posts: PANAMA SERIES: TEN FACTS OR MORE ABOUT BOQUETE, PANAMA PANAMA SERIES: BOQUETE’S FLOWERS AND COFFEE FESTIVAL PANAMA SERIES: VISITING DAMARLI ESTATE IN BOQUETE PANAMA SERIES: CARIBBEAN PARADISE - BOCAS DEL TORO ECUADOR SERIES: COTACACHI, THE CITY BETWEN TWO VOLCANOS ECUADOR SERIES - DUE DILIGENCE TRIP ECUADOR SERIES: TIPS FOR TRAVELLING TO ECUADOR HIKING IN MONT-ROYAL PARK, MONTREAL ZUMMER FUN BUS RIDE IN CONSTANTA, ROMANIA THE STONEHENGE OF ROMANIA: SARMIZEGETUSA REGIA LAURENTIANS MOUNTAINS: COTTAGE TRIP AT LAKE CACHÉE OTTAWA LIGHTS SHOW ON PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS HIKING AT DANUBE’S GORGES, ORSOVA, ROMANIA DECEBALUS CARVED STATUE, ROMANIA PIRATES TREASURE PLAYGROUND, CONSTANTA, ROMANIA DOLPHINARIUM 2, CONSTANTA, ROMANIA DOLPHINARIUM 1, CONSTANTA, ROMANIA GONDOLA RIDE IN MAMAIA RESORT, ROMANIA BEACH DAY IN CONSTANTA, ROMANIA BUBBLES - INDOOR PLAYGROUND IN CONSTANTA, ROMANIA BAHIA DE PAQUERA, NICOYA GULF, COSTA RICA EXPLORING AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS MACKINAC BRIDGE, MICHIGAN, USA CHASED BY TORNADOS IN MINNESOTA MINNEHAHA FALLS REGIONAL PARK, A GEM IN BETWEEN THE TWIN CITIES BANFF, A RESORT TOWN INSIDE THE BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA, CANADA OLD PORT OF CONSTANTA, ROMANIA MORAINE LAKE, A SURREAL BEAUTY IN ALBERTA, CANADA TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE A LIVING WHILE TRAVELLING THE WORLD FEELING UNINSPIRED? VISIT A WELSH RETREAT: GLADSTONE’S RESIDENTIAL LIBRARY TURDA’S 400 FEET UNDERGROUND AMUSEMENT PARK, A HIDDEN GEM OF TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA VISIT TO SAINT-JOSEPH’S ORATORY IN MONTREAL, CANADA Unless stated otherwise, all photos used in this posts are taken and owned by myself. If you wish to use any of my images, please contact me! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave your feedback in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Artisanal jewellery
Snail snack, a delicacy sold by the street food merchants
Roasted cuey (Guinea pig)
PANAMA SERIES: THE GRINGO PRICE
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Excellent post, @lymepoet!
Those handmade dolls are so adorable! Beautiful photos all around. Thanks for sharing!
They looked very cute. I like them too! I can imagine how much a child would love them!
Wow, 12 languages is a lot! But does everyone speak Spanish more or less officially?
I am glad you got to negotiate in Istanbul, as a local Istanbuler I was never successful at that :)
The street food looks interesting, except the guinea pig is far from looking yummy, it rather looks barbaric :(
Greetings from Cape Town :)
Spanish is the official language but in more remote areas you would rather hear a dialect than pure Spanish.
im on cooldown but willbe back to upvote! omg i need those beads and earrings and a hat! the food looks gross tho minus the grapes. yummmmm
fun trip !! 🙌🏽
I regretted not buying those beads necklace. Maybe next time! I did get a hat though ;0)
omg id go on a serious shopping spree! oh how i miss ecuadorian soup too; nyc and sf have good places.
It is so colorful there!! ♥
Lovely photos!
I dont blame you, I dont think I could have eaten the guinea pigs either. I have heard people raise them for meat, but they DO look like rats after cooking...
It was a very colorful place! I enjoyed spending time in there. An unique experience I would say.
That's just how I remember the Otavalo market. I had some roasted pig there instead of a guinea pig, so delicious and cheap as well, around 1$ I think!
Did you try the street food or you ate in a restaurant?
I mostly ate at markets, lots of street food as well - which could explain why I got sick so often in South America :D
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Wow! What a colorful products. Interesting culture, 12 languages? Are they official national language of ecuador or some are dialects. (Our official language is tagalog, but people speaks differnt dialects per region).
Spanish is the official language, the rest are dialects.
I am first amazed at how many articles of places you have done!
Thank you for sharing this experience! A friend of mine just came back from somewhere over there (even though, as I soon wrote, it is at the other end of the world) but I don't expect such stories from him.
Strange but I got most interested at the food and how would it taste... Its not like me at all... Or isn't it?
And I got curious about the fact that you felt there is no problem with pick-pocketing, etc.
Ecuadorian food is amazing. Very tasty and nutritious. I love that they use yucca, yams, otoe or manioc and corn in their dishes. They do love roast, especially pig. I found Ecuadorian food tastier and perhaps a bit more healthier than other Latin cuisines. As for the pick-pocketing, we were expecting it since everyone told us to be careful. Maybe we were lucky? Though I have not heard about any similar incidents in the Northen areas of Ecuador. In the South, in Cuenca, yes. I had a friend to got mobbed in plain day light. I would say it was his fault for flashing valuables in a poor country.