Days 11 & 12: Otavalo, Parque Condor, and Free Day

Saturday, August 30, 2008
Today was a field trip day again, and a really good one at that. We left Hotel Walther at 8am for Otavalo. Otavalo is a town about 2 hours by bus from Quito that is famous for its open air market. It is one of the largest in South America and is known to have some of the best hand-made crafts in all of Ecuador. The bus ride was full of winding roads and ups and downs, but driving through the Andes was so gorgeous it didn't even feel like we were on the bus for that long. We made a small stop about 30 minute before arriving at Otavalo. There is a small store that sells Panama Hats; according to David (our GAIAS leader) they are the best ones around. I wasn't intending on buying one, but when I went in to see Lianne I tried one on and it was just so cute I couldn't resist! Plus, it rolls up in a box for transporation. :)
We then continued on to Otavalo. We gave three young Otavaleno girls a ride with us to the market, and they sang songs for us in their indigenous language. They were adorable, and also selling scarfs and bracelets and dolls. Lisa D. and I got 2 gorgeous scarfs for 5 dollars, and they were completely worth it. Then it was to the market! The market is just blocks and blocks of vendors selling all kinds of goods. There is a main square that is just made up of stands, but all the streets surrounding it are full of stands as well. Cars do no see to exist in this vecinity... Lianne, Kelly, Lisa D, and myself decided to stick together. Off we went, bargaining down the prices on goods we wanted to purchase. I didn't buy anything for a while because I wanted to get a feel for what types of jewelry and other crafts they were selling, and for what price. We had tons of fun practicing our spanish and haggeling with the locals. I ended up buying some jewelry (are we surprised?), gloves made of baby alpaca fur, and some other gifts for people back home. I can't say what because it's going to be a surprise!
Many people from GAIAS bought blankets, ponchos, and hammocks. I realllllllly wanted a blanket made of Alpaca fur but I didn't know how much room for stuff I would have. Also, I cannot buy any sweaters, ponchos, or hats because everything is made of wool, which absolutely itches me to death! And hammocks? Well, I have one sitting in my room back home from Mexico that I still need to find a place to put! All-in-all, it was a very sucessfull day of shopping for everyone, as well as a very expensive one.
After the market, we headed to Hacienda Pinsaqui. It is a huge old Hacienda built in 1790, and is essentially like a resort. It reminded me very much the the English Inn in Eaton Rapids, MI. Lunch was absolutely amazing and we all stuffed ourselves silly. Desert was the best I have had so far: a slice of pound cake with a strawberry and whipped cream on top, and scoop of rasberry sorbet. We were also serenaded when we first arrived by an old traditional band. Everything about it was simply amazing, and the fireplaces inside were HUGE!!!!!
Lunch ended, and we headed to Parque Condor. Parque Condor is a wild bird refuge and recovery center. We saw hawks, eagles, falcons, condors, owls, and so many other wild birds. I knew my mom would absolutely love it, so I took tons of pictures. They are not fabulous pictures because the birds were kinda far away in their enclosures, but Sam took some great ones with a huge zoom lens and is going to give me hers at some point. At the end of the tour there, we got to see a bird show. Some of the birds are trained; while they can fly they cannot leave the Park because they have been in human contact for too long and do not know how to live in the wild. The bird show was very neat - we saw 4 or 5 birds fly around and catch food in the air. My favorite were the black chested eagles - they just glide forever on their huge wings, and the ones we saw were still juveniles! The show concluded with all of us getting to hold a bird. It was neat to be so close to such an amazing creature.
Finally it was to the bus, and a long bus ride home. Traveling through the mountains can be tricky because there is only one lane going each direction, and if you get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle then the trip can be very long. Well, we got stuck behind a really slow semi-truck. After an hour of following it, we were FINALLY able to pass. Passing is also difficult because going uphill is hard on the engine, and so many peopel are coming down hill. Also, the constant turns make it difficult to see if traffic is coming. Around 8 pm we made it back to Hotel Walther, just in time for dinner. Some people decided to spend the night in the hotel, others went out. I called Mateo and he came and met us at our Hotel. Mateo, Lisa D, and myself went out dancing in La Mariscal, and got really sweaty and had a great time. We were back around midnight, and hung out on the roof of the hotel for a bit. Then it was bed time because we were super tired, and he was running in Nike's "The Human Race" Sunday morning. (It is a 10k that was run in ~ 25 cities around the world on August 31st).

Sunday, August 31, 2008
After last night, today was a bum-around day. I slept until 10:45 which was great because I really needed the rest. Maddelyn slept even later, but she didn't get back from going out unil 5:40 am! I had missed breakfast, but that didn't really matter. Shawna M and I went to the mall to do a couple errands. I picked up some water and gatorade, as well as some mini bananas and woolite. Apparently doing laundry is really expensive here.... I then went to the Porta store, again, to try to see what was wrong with my phone. I still cannot recieve international phone calls and it is extremely frusterating because no one knows why. Plus, communicating with the employees is difficult because of the language barrier...Basically, they still don't know whats wrong with my phone and had to file a complaint with some higher level people. Then I bought a 10 dollar calling card, and it says the number is invalid. I think Porta just hates me...
I was able to talk to my parents for a few minutes, so that was good. Now I am bumming around the hotel room, procrastinating completing my packing and homework. Tomorrow we leave for Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Amazon rain forest. I will be out of communication with the world for about 5 days, but will have tons to write about when I return I am sure! Be prepared to see tons of pictures!!!! Adios from Quito!