Day 5, February 18, 2026, Otovalo

Day 5, February 18, 2026, Otovalo I went to Otovalo today. It was private that left at 8:30 and took about 7 hours. Otovalo is a native town for the Otavalans, who still dress in traditional outfits. The men where their hair long, while the women wear a traditional black dress that is almost Amish like. Today was the first day back from a four day weekend, and the traffic outside my hotel was noticably heavier this morning. I’m in the old town, which is north of the financial district. There was a lot of commute traffic as we drove out of Quito. The drive to Otovalo, which is a little more than an hour out of Quito, was spectacular. The first part was through a giant canyon, which resembled some of the canyons you see in Southern California. It was a cool trip, although it was a two lane road and very slow. The first stop was at another native village on the biggest lake out in Ecuador. The town is mostly abandoned during the week, but gets very busy during the weekends. The best part of the stop was the view of the volcano from the shore. It was a nice day, so we could see the top of the volcano. The next stop was at a waterfall a little lower below the lake. It was an amazing walk, and the waterfall reminded me of Manoa falls. The next stop was the market in Otovalo. I’m am not a shopper, and I really didn’t have anything i wanted to buy. I ended up buying two wool shawls, which I can display in my classroom. We went to another story, and there was a really nice leather change person. That’s something that I knew I could use. We then had lunch, and a coffee, and I got to reflect on the town. I hadn’t heard of it until I week ago, but I’m glad i went. I expected something more touristy, and less of functional town. A place where the traditional clothing is more of a gimmick, and primarily for tourists. I think the market is primarily for tourist, but the rest of the town was not touristy. It was a functional market town, and yet almost every single woman was wearing the traditional clothing. A long white dress with a black shawl. I think they look a little bit like an Amish outfit with the headwear. It is a committed by the community to preserve the native culture, which I think is kind of cool.