Ecuadorian market days

December 15 and 16

No rest for the curious, I suppose. Up early once again to head south of Quito on a day trip to the town of Saquisili to take in its weekly market. Ecuador has many weekly markets but the one in Saquisili is supposed to be the “most authentic” of the Andean (indigenous) markets. We hired a guide in Quito (Enrique) to make it easier to navigate our way both to the town and around its 7 separate market areas.

The first market section we visited was for buying and selling animals – pigs, llamas, goats, sheep, and cattle. The animal market starts about 5 AM and as we didn’t arrive until 11 we missed most of the true chaos.

Enrique led us through the maze of streets and squares and through concentrations of potato sellers, fruit and vegetable sellers, and flower sellers. Other areas sold prepared food including roasted guinea pigs (which we declined) and the usual array of live fowl. The artisan section was small, a true indication that this market saw few tourists.

Throughout the whole market men and women were dressed in the traditional styles and colours of their indigenous communities, with unmistakable variations in the skirts, blouses, knee socks, shawls, ponchos, hats and pants. We found the people to be quite shy and always looked away when I smiled. Everyone was incredibly short. (Brodie would tower over most of the population.) There were many young women, looking no older than 16, with babies strapped to their backs.

On our way back to Quito we stopped for lunch at the Hacienda La Cienega. The main house was built in the early 1700’s. It offered quite an insight into the elegance and richness of Spanish colonial life – grand gardens, stables and a private chapel. It is still an operating ranch. The whole region is dominated by the volcano Cotopaxi but only the lower slopes were visible.

The next day we again headed out again with Enrique to the north. A 2.5 hour drive brought us to the town of Otavalo, the site of Ecuador’s most famous indigenous market. The area was obviously far more prosperous than Saquisili with better agricultural lands and more tourism. The market was great - full of colour and more very short people. It began to pour but we did our best to be good tourist shoppers under the plastic tarps.

Photos from the markets...

Ecuador markets

Up in the clouds

December 14 and 15

Less than six hours of sleep and we're off to the west of Quito - up into the cloud forest to Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. http://www.bellavistacloudforest.com/english/index.php

We spent wonderful two days (a lot of it in the pouring rain) watching birds and learning about the ecology of the cloud forest. We had a fabulous guide who added so much to our experience. Cozy bamboo hut to sleep in (it was quite cool at night) and great food. Bellavista is known for the variety of hummingbirds that live in the area and we saw a marvelous array. We certainly wished we had stayed longer.

Pictures from Bellavista....

Ecuador cloud forest

On the road again

Just do it.
Life’s too short.
Go big or go home.
It’s only money.
You only live once.
Freedom 55.

....Clichés have their place....

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We left Vancouver yesterday at 7:45 AM - in the pouring rain. After about 45 minutes on the road, the driver requests the assistance of any passenger who knows the route to the border to please step forward. “I’m lost,” he adds. Nobody moves. Barney says it’s just a joke. Several minutes later the request is reasserted. Barney looks outside and says we’re in Abbotsford. We’ve been travelling east – not south. Two puppyish passengers finally intervene and direct us away from the route to Halifax and along back roads to the nearest border crossing. We arrive in Seattle 2 hours late but still in time to make it to the Picasso exhibit at the Art Museum.


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This trip began when our friends Fran and Marty (who live in Wisconsin) suggested we meet them and their two university-aged daughters in Panama for three weeks. With no kids at home for Christmas and no pets to look after, we decided there was no reason to stick around Whitehorse for the coldest darkest months. After agreeing to meet up with them, we had a look at the map to see what else might be worth a visit in the area. We were surprised to discover that the distances between Panama City, Quito and the Galapagos form an equidistant triangle. So we are now en route to Quito (via Seattle). We will spend our first few days in and around Quito. Then on Dec 19th we fly out to the Galapagos for a week which includes Christmas. On Dec 28 we fly to Panama City to meet up with Fran and family to begin our adventure there. We're heading into 6 weeks of wildlife wonders, on land and in the ocean, so stay tuned.

Fran would say that our misdirected beginning was a sign. Maybe we should have gone to Ontario for Christmas instead of Ecuador. But I think it was more likely a sign to remind us of how unpredictable travel can be and how even the most straight forward route is not always a sure thing.