Quito To Otavalo

Today I decided to take the bus to Otavalo for the Saturday market. The 2 hour ride is exhilirating to say the least. I had no idea a bus could handle like that! Especially on mountain roads. I am certain the driver exercised the suspension to its maximum extent as we careened through mountain roads with rails that were either non-existant or thin wire that would not keep a bicycle from going off the edge. The bus itself is like a missile. Nothing on the road passes it and it passes everybody, including other buses that don´t wish to be passed. At one point we were literally racing another bus through the mountains, side by side, we unfortunately were in the oncoming traffic lane. But it was more fun than frightening. I was surprised to find the mountains around Quito to be arid and sandy, like mountains out west. But by the time we arrived at Otavalo (province, not city), they had become the velvety green mountains I expect of the Andes. Despite the insane turns that had everybody holding onto their seats (while those standing listed violently to the outside of the curve), the kid next to me managed to fall asleep for most of the way. He, like many others, would eventually get off the bus in the deepest of nowhere. Places where there is literally nothing. We passed a small child, a dog, and shack... that was one lady´s stop. At some stops, venders will hop on, whether the bus stops or not, and try to sell baked goods, candy, or some other product to the passengers. The first guy hoped on while we were still in Quito, made a big speech about the qualities of his chocolate, then started telling riddles. People who bothered to give the correct answers to his riddles were rewarded with one of his candies. After that he went the length of the bus giving out samples, two to each passenger, and proclaimed that additional candies could be bought for 5 cents each. A curious marketing strategy.

So I forgot to mention yesterday, and why I couldn´t get online. I walked all around the city, lost for some percentage of the time, and came across and impossible to find hotel with courtyard, private rooms with private bath, and hot water (you have to ask because most places have it but some don´t). For $7 a night, they don´t have internet access. During the day I visited all the old town features, including climbing ladders up to the belfry of a cathedral that had a great view of the city, including the Virgin on the hill. When I got to the top I was surprised to find a family there, up past the ladders, with a small girl that had been carried up the ladders by her father. She kept saying ¨I´m scared! I´m scared!¨ but at the same time seem delighted by the height and didn´t cry. Certainly an attraction like this, climb-at-your-own-risk, would never fly in the United States.