Otavalo
I hear of many expats living here or trying to sell the thought of living here, but remember, I am not retired, so maybe I just see a different picture of all of this. It is quite a big place spread out with lovely houses, which may be a good enough reason to move there. But the main attraction is the handicrafts Otavalo has to offer. They have really amazing clothes, rugs, and plenty to choose from. I was well impressed. I will take my mother there when she comes over. I am sure she will love it, but for me, once you look past the crafts, what else is there?
My brother-in-laws agreed that they have been here a few times over the years, but once you have seen the crafts once or twice, nothing really lures you back. How many times can you go to the same craft place before you get sick?
If you have never been, I suggest you definitely go, but to live there, not for me. Here are some pictures we took, then I will move on to Cotacachi.
Cotacachi
OK for this place. It is known as a gringo community, not from my mouth but from the locals. First impressions: there are some beautiful houses outside of town; the air seemed quite fresh, and looking at the billboards, white water rafting must go on here. When driving in, the place reminded me of Conocoto in the Valle de los Chillos; same sort of layout, in my opinion, but Cotacachi is known for its leather products. I saw some amazing jackets, shoes, and bags. The motorcycle jackets looked like the real deal. If I get a bike, I will come back and buy it from here. I thought the prices were a tad expensive for an Ecuadorian mind, but if you are a tourist with money to blow, you will find some nice things. Ambato is by far the cheapest and best, in my opinion, for these kinds of products, but Cotacachi is certainly on the map when you talk about leather goods.
I noticed a large group of gringos attending what appeared to be a local gathering. We passed the group, and one man spoke up and said there are far too many gringos coming into town these days. My family understood because most of them speak English, so they laughed as if to say something rich coming from you bitawkward when you hear that.
We crossed the road and saw another group. It was hard to hear, but they were whining about someone who had moved here, and they clearly didn't like the person. A day out, you must do it. To live there is a no from me. These people must walk up and down the high street every weekend saying the same crap , because again, when you look past the shops, there is nothing there either, which we all agreed on. Here are some pics of the leather products. The quality and craftsmanship that go into these products is amazing.
Ibarra was the next place we ventured through. The climate, which was much warmer than before, reminded me of Manabi, but it was bearable here because of the breeze. The Yahuarcocha lagoon: this is where the Spaniards invaded years ago. Many died in the lake, so they say all the blood of these people lies at the bottom of the lake. A nice little story. So we had some food. If you drive around the right hand side, there are many restaurants there. So we went for the fish, rice, salad, and empanadas. The fish were caught straight out of the lake. Nice food, highly recommended.
The final place was Atuntaqui.
In most towns and cities, you are sure to find places that sell fake clothes made in Ecuador, but some are really good. I was told this is where you get the best clothes, and I will agree with some of the things I saw and bought. It wasn't just busy for Carnival, it is like this all the time, so I was told. Maybe I missed something in each of these locations, but I can get most of this back in Quito without making the long drive. I didn't get any pictures here, but a video I will try to put up soon. I hope this explains a few things about these locations If you have been here and have a different perspective, please do share. The final pic was taken as we were heading home. The mountains were so high, the picture doesn't do them justice.
