Joyce also went to the market and got fruit, breads, potatoes and eggs, jellies, milk, juice and coffee for the volunteers for the week. She got up early to make the eggs and potatoes for us. I grabbed some of the eggs and potatoes, a piece of bread (the bread in Ecuador is delicious) and a small banana. I poured some of the orange juice in a cup and sat down at the dining table. The food hit the spot.
After we all ate and cleaned up a little, Joyce asked us if we wanted to walk around town and then head, by city bus, into Otavalo for some shopping. We all decided that it sounded like a good plan. We grabbed our day bags and headed for the bus station which was a few blocks from where Joyce lived. Along the way she showed us leather street again (mostly for Khealynn and Kaitlin who weren't with us yesterday) and she took us to the produce market which was by the bus station.
We walked through there just to see it. Outside, people were selling their food, crafts and wares.
Joyce found the bus that would take us to Otavalo. Before we got on, she said to keep your bags in your lap and make sure you have about 35 cents handy so you could give it to the "conductor" when they walk by. We got on and I sat next to the window and mom sat next to me in the aisle. About half way through our short trip, the "conductor" came by and we gave him each some change for the bus ride to Otavalo. Now I know why there are so many people that use the bus, it's dirt cheap! The busses were actually comfortable...almost like a charter bus.
It didn't take us long to get to Otavalo since it was just the next town over. The took us to the bus stop and dropped us off. That bus stop was busy! Joyce gathered all of us up and we walked towards the square. Otavalo, known for its textiles is the largest outdoor market in South America however, we didn't get to see it on its biggest day of the week, Sunday. Joyce had been here several times so she let us wander about for a few hours while she went inside the coffee shop to hang out.
Mom, Amy, Khealynn, Caitlin and I did indeed wander around the abbreviated version of the outdoor market. We looked at blankets, clothing, bags, wall art, stuffed animals, wooden nick-knacks. The people selling their goods would try to pitch us deals in English, since visually we looked like we spoke English. I said, no gracias, many times that morning. I was looking for some specific things for people and I hadn't come across it yet. As time passed, mom found the stuff she was suppose to bring back for people at work and I found some stuff I wanted to bring back for people.
I even found a few things for myself. All of it was homemade and it was a great deal. I tried to get most of my shopping done so I didn't have to worry about it later on. Joyce met back up with us and took us to a shop away from the market. She knew the owners and said if you really wanted some nice tapestry, table runners, etc., this was the place to get them. I bought one for myself, one for Trish and one for Grandma.
I still had to get a few things but that could wait another day. We stopped inside the store just to experience a Ecuadorian super market. Some people bought some stuff. We even got to see a street artist paint a mural on one of the walls.
Joyce walked us back to the market and asked us if we were hungry. We all said we could eat soon...at this point in the day it was probably around noonish. We walked around the square for a bit, enjoyed the buildings and architecture before we walked back to the bus station to head back to Cotacachi for some food.
Joyce wanted to take us to Sazon Venezolano, where some of her Venezuelan friends work.
We got back to the bus station and had to wait a little while for the bus to Cotacachi. Joyce found the correct bus and we all found seats. It took a little while to take off because they wanted to make sure that it was full before we took off. In the meantime, school had let out and there were children wearing uniforms everywhere! There was even some goats tied to a telephone pole. I was amused by it for some reason and took a picture.
After about five minutes we were on our way back to Cotacachi, which was a short drive.
We got back to the bus station and Joyce took us to the restaurant which was a short walk down a few blocks. We arrived at the restaurant and were greeted very enthusiastically. We were seated right away and given menus. I didn't really want to spend a whole lot of money (because I knew we would need some for later on this week) so I got a couple chicken empanadas and some fresh orange juice. They were delicious and hit the spot. We got one of Jovann's famous selfie photos before we paid and headed out.
We walked back to Joyce's house and a few of us hung out at the house while Joyce and a few others walked to the dental clinic to see if we could use the sterilizer over the next few days. It was better than what we did the first time I came, bowls, scrubbers, bleach, hoses and cavi-wipes. At least this way we were able to run them through so they reached the appropriate degree of sterilization.
I got in a shower and mom and I watched some TV while we relaxed. Remember it got dark around 6 p.m. at the equator every night. Throughout the evening everyone else showed up for the dental clinic, some even got in super late while we were sleeping. I got on my computer and attempted to write down stuff for my blog that I was super behind in and I made some Facebook albums so people could see what we've been doing so far.
Around 9-10 that night everyone got ready for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day and I sure hope that this time around things were a bit more organized and we didn't waste a lot of time.
Next Adventure: First Clinic: The Community of Pinsaquai
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