Provincia de Imbabura Things to Do

Otavalo Market

by b1bob

The Otavalo Market is a bargain hunter's (or a tightwad's) paradise! The market is in the Plaza Centenario or "Plaza de los Ponchos". The market is open every day, but on Saturdays the market extends to many nearby streets. They sell handicrafts of leather, wood, tagua, jewelry, and handmade textiles made by local natives. My first Saturday in Ecuador, I did Christmas shopping for most of my family and friends there and spent a grand total of about $50. This should be a shopping tip, but it is really more of a cultural experience everybody who visits the Quito area must try. At these markets, you really get a chance to get up close and personal with the local culture. Most of the vendors only speak Spanish and many are pre-European natives. Also, you must haggle with these vendors to get a good price. I did well at this by pretending to give up on them and start to walk off. At the very...