Saturday shopping is......

amazing in Otavalo. I know, I probably use that word a lot when discussing this trip but it is appropriate. The Saturday market in Otavalo covers almost the entire city. Every street, nook, and cranny has some kind of shopping. It is like a neighborhood garage sale except, there are streeets that are selling nothing but veggies-fruits and streets that are selling nothing but meat. Then there are the sections that are selling clothes, jewelry, and other stuff.

I was out at 7am and I just walked and looked. I did not take many pictures because this is the kind of stuff that must be committed to memory and no picture will ever do it justice. I imagine that the locals, and those that are not so local, start setting up before 6am because there were over 100 booths that were up and ready to go by the time I came out. I walked for an hour and a half, then I went into a cafe and had cafe con leche (coffee with milk) and some cake. I secured a window seat and just watched all that was going on.

We are leaving Otavalo at 1pm to head back to Quito as today is the final day of the tour. Tonight, we will have our farewell dinner and tomorrow some people will head home while others will join tours going to the Galapagos Islands. I wish I were going too, but I did not have enough vacation time to couple that trip with this one. No matter, I have no regrets.

I had to stop in this internet cafe because I had a moment of panic as to whether or not my mortgage got paid. Fortunately, it is the only time that I have thought about anything related to my real life since I started this trip. Yep, it was paid as scheduled, I just like to panic every now and again.

Well, I must head back out so that the men can tell me how beautiful I am. Apparently dark skinned women are appreciated down here....heeee. Perhaps I shall stay. Off to pay my 40 cents for 30 minutes of internet usage.

Buenas Tardes! Adios mi amigos-amigas! Amor! (heee... is my bilingualness (not a word) totally annoying?)