Discovering Ecuadorian Heritage in the North

Colombian Border to Quito

Otavalo

A two hour bus brought us along winding Andean roads from the border town of Tulcán to Otavalo, where we spent three fascinating days in the heart of indigenous Ecuador.

Kichwa locals outnumbered non-indigenous in Otavalo and were easily spotted by their distinct clothing. Women wear flowered white blouses, dark skirts, and many gold necklaces while men wear dark felt hats and their hair in a single long braid called a shimba.

Otavalo and the surrounding towns are home to members of the Kichwa indigenous group - direct descendants of the ancient Incas - and our three days in the area were defined by our interactions with them. 

Shopping for more gold necklaces because the dozen she’s wearing aren’t enough! Unlike Colombia, where ethnic minorities seemed separated from “normal” life, we found the indigenous in Ecuador (who make up 20% of the population, with another 65% being of mixed indigenous/European heritage) to be far more integrated into society, even in big cities like Quito.

Otavalo is best known for its traditional artisan market, where indigenous flood into the city from the surrounding hills and sell everything from (purportedly) hand-made ponchos to wood-carved flutes. The markets occurs every day of the week with an epicenter in the Plaza de Ponchos, but on Saturdays it swells in size, filling the plaza and extending down the many streets that surround it.

The Plaza de Ponchos from above shows the maze of endless stalls

We visited the market on Saturday and were in awe of the massive selection of goods and often found the traditionally-clad vendors to be as interesting as their wares. 

Everything was for sale in the artisans market, from paintings and dream catchers to vegetable stalls and sacks of spices. By far, the most popular items were the woven blankets, ponchos, and other clothes for which the Otavaleños are known.

However, the market has turned into a bit of a tourist attraction over the years due to its day-tripability from nearby Quito and we doubted the authenticity of many of the goods sold; it simply wasn’t possible for “hand-spun pure alpaca” sweaters to be going for $10 (plus, identical goods being sold at multiple vendors seemed a bit hairy)!

Shirts, trousers, and blankets being sold alongside the characteristic flowery blouses of the Kichwa

Regardless, the market offered a colorful and fun opportunity to interact with locals, plus a great chance to buy well-priced souvenirs, even if they weren’t 100% homemade!

Where the artisans market lacked authenticity, the early morning animal market had almost too much for our Western comfort zones!

That said, prior to the artisans market, we woke up before dawn to visit an event that we’d heard had retained its authentic character: the local animal market. This one only occurs once a week, and when we arrived to the sprawling market in Quinchuqui, one of the villages on the outskirts of Otavalo, we were thrilled to see it churning with activity. 

While the publicity of the cramped conditions here was a bit hard to stomach, the unfortunate reality is that conditions back home in the US are often far worse, just occurring behind closed doors. Plus, the animals here are local, requiring no transport and having minimal environmental impact, and once bought they likely have large open spaces all to themselves.

Men and women dressed in their traditional outfits sold all sorts of small animals (we learned the large animals market occurred the previous day) ranging from chickens and geese to “cuys” (guinea pigs - a local delicacy) and even puppies and kittens (these ones thankfully were not being sold as food!). 

You know you’re at a market that doesn’t pander to tourists when the only meat for sale is a mixed assortment of grilled offal

Alongside the bustle of the animals came the auxiliary stands, selling a range of traditional food and drink and even random other goods, with fold-out tables clad with electronics, combs, and decks of cards brushing up against quacking ducks and squealing guinea pigs.

In Otavalo’s main square, ready to pose with the statue of Rumiñahui, the unbelievably badass Inca general during the Spanish conquest, when I was swarmed by strays. Don’t let the nice pictures mislead you - Ecuador (and all of SA thus far) is full of stray dogs, but they’ve all been friendly so far!

The remainders of our market-driven days were spent strolling around Otavalo people-watching as we visited the main squares, churches, and food stands. 

On the second afternoon, we took a half-day trip to Peguche Falls in a nearby village. A short walk brought us to the thundering tropical falls, and we felt a world away from the chaos of the morning’s market.

Our final day in Otavalo was spent hiking the perimeter of the magnificent Laguna de Cuicocha, a nearby high-altitude lake filling the caldera of a once-great volcano. 

Laguna de Cuicocha, meaning Guinea Pig Lake in Kichwa, is named for the inner island on the right in this photo, which allegedly resembles the furry friend.

The 9-mile loop around the lake brought us to a brutal altitude of over 3,500 meters, but the nonstop views of the lake and its islands made the difficulty worth it.

The weather was perfect for our day hike, as the clear blue skies and shining sun illuminated the turquoise blue waters of the laguna below. The view into the valley wasn’t half bad, either!

After finishing the hike and a successful hitch back into town, we spent a relaxed final night in Otavalo overlooking the artisans market before bussing it to Mindo.

Great Spanish conservation among new friends on the way back from Cuicocha. Unlike Colombia, where we chose not to hitch for safety concerns, Ecuador has proven to be a veritable thumber’s paradise, and we’ve caught plenty of rides over the last couple weeks, never needing to wait more than a few minutes.

Mindo

We arrived to Mindo - not to be confused with the weirdly similar (both in name and activities) Minca in Colombia - in the late afternoon and spent the day relaxing in our jungle hostel.

The trendy hostel saw lots of lounging time as we got some much needed R&R

The trip from Otavalo brought us down over 2,000 meters in elevation to “only” 1,300 meters, and with the descent came a great change in environment. 

Back to cloud forests reminiscent of Salento or Minca in Colombia in mid-altitude Andean Mindo. Here is the Tarabita cable car, which we took on our second day in the town, which provided soaring views over the landscape.

Still part of the Andes, the terrain remained pocketed with steep valleys and soaring mountains, but the semi-barren high altitude mountains of Otavalo gave way to lush green tropical cloud forests. 

The wild oranges we found on our dead-end hike could’ve offered some redemption, but alas, they were more sour than a lemon.

Our largest outing brought us first via misled hike (where we trekked three miles to a dead-end before having to walk all the way back, thanks to an outdated map), then via time-saving taxi to the Tarabita cable car, which carried us high over a verdant valley to the Waterfall Sanctuary trailhead.

The Tarabita cable car is quite the engineering marvel, as the whole thing is powered by a 2002 Nissan engine!

The out-and-back 4 mile hike brought us through the cloud forest and past seven waterfalls, providing ample opportunities for picture-taking or to chill out in the cooling waters.

While none of the waterfalls in isolation were spectacular, it was exciting to walk along the stream and see a new one around every bend

Mindo is also one of the best places in the world for birdwatching, and while we didn’t do any organized tours, having already done one in Minca, we enjoyed taking part in the activity by simply keeping our ears and eyes peeled while on our hike or sitting in solitude of our hostel, where the polyphony of birdsong never subsided.

This hanging seat on the edge of the hostel was the absolute best place to relax and listen to the bids. Many a hummingbird were sighted from this spot!

A final morning in Mindo brought us to El Quetzal, where we took a chocolate tour and learned all about the process from cacao to bar.

From fruit to desiccated bean to smooth chocolate - we saw it all at El Quetzal

The tour culminated with a massive chocolate tasting platter, with flavors ranging from salt and pepper to aji (spicy pepper) and cardamom.

Bold move to leave us unchaperoned with this platter of chocolate! Paired with the tasting were the best brownies we’ve ever eaten and cacao tea. We were both in quite the chocolate-induced coma afterwards!

We next headed to Quito, the historic capital city of Ecuador where in two days’ time we’d be meeting up with Mackenzie’s parents, who were joining us for a trip to the Galapagos!

Quito

Quito is a skinny, snaking metropolis situated between two parallel ranges within the Andes and extending nearly 50 kilometers north to south and a mere 4 kilometers east to west. On top of this, it’s the second highest capital in the world (after La Paz, Bolivia), sitting pretty at a lofty 2,850 meters.

The neo-Gothic Basilica de Voto Nacional dominates the historic center’s skyline

Our first days in the city - prior to the Dalton’s arrival - were spent in and around the historic center. A free walking tour taught us of the history of the town, having once been home to the Quitu ethnic group (hence the barely-changed current name), then being occupied by the Incas for 100 years as the northern capital before it was razed in anticipation of the oncoming Spanish conquistadors. 

The churches of Quito were some of the most beautiful we’ve seen. Left to right, these are San Francisco Church, the Basilica de Voto Nacional, and the Church of La Compañía.

It was then rebuilt by the Spanish into one of the premier colonial cities on the continent, and it’s this time that many of the beautiful buildings within the center date back to. 

With massive $2 platters of meats, rice, and lentils, plus a friendly young family running the place, it’s no surprise that we ate at El Gato 4 times while in Quito!

Alongside many walks through the center, a visit to the underwhelming National Museum of Ecuador, and dinners at our favorite family-owned diner El Gato, we prepared for the arrival of Mackenzie’s parents.

Reunited at last!

Once they landed, a day late on the back of a hellish series of canceled and delayed flights that I’ll spare you the details of, we repeated much of the same activities, but with a touch of luxury that our backpacker budgets can’t typically manage. 

Four of the seven delicious courses we enjoyed during our tasting menu at Restaurante Casa Gangotena

We were thrilled to be treated to the upgrades, as our 12-bed dorm was replaced by a beautiful mid-century hotel, $2 platters at El Gato gave way to a prix fixe menu at an eatery boasting Ecuadorian fare with a modern twist, and searching for souvenirs meant visiting air-conditioned shops were bartering wasn’t quite accepted rather than endless haggling with street-side vendors.

The inside of the churches were often somehow more mesmerizing than their neo-Gothic and Baroque exteriors

That said, the meat of the days remained the same, and we loved acting as tour guides for Mack’s parents and showing them around the city’s highlights.

If you ever find yourself in Quito’s Central Market, you must find the woman in the bottom left and get a shake with coconut milk, blackberry, and soursoup - it is to die for! An unrelated fun fact: Ecuador’s equatorial position causes their roses to have long & perfectly straight stems, making them one of the world’s largest exporters of the symbol of love.

We even brought them to the nearby Central Market for a taste of the less-glammed Quito, where the stench of hanging room-temperature offal mixes with the sweet aromas drifting from stalls hosting a technicolor cornucopia of fruits and the spices from 20-gallon vats of encebollado, Ecuador’s favorite fish-based soup.

Off to the Galapagos with views of the mighty Chimborazo volcano

After only a single Quito day with Mack’s parents, a pre-dawn alarm readied us for an early flight to the Galapagos, where we spent an unforgettable eight days cruising through the inimitable islands. What a trip!