Optional tour day of our 2nd 2 night stints of 4 in Quito, the prevailing decision was, let's do the tour. Ecuador has a very interesting history. Founded by the Spainards in the 1500's and has had quite the history ever since. The population is comprised of 22 tribes and 24 provinces. There are 54 active volcanos that are occasionally making their presence known. The topography is very obvious that it was created by centuries of volcanic activity. The road system is, for the most part very good. Some of the most expensive highways in the world. At least that is the country's president's claim of success is...
The tour today took us to quite a number of "discoveries". You OAT travelers know exactly what that means. ;D. Every stop included shopping opportunities... Like that is a surprise... We wound our way through the Andes mountains to Otavalo and Chilcapamba. Stopped at overlooks, chatted with a weaver, a musical instrument maker, watched how they harvest quinoa, make shoes out of grave plant fibers and a home hosted lunch! Whew, so much fun and shopping opportunities at every turn. The lunch included a freshly roasted cui. Two people were squabbling over who would get the brains and eyeballs ... You can bet the farm, one of them was NOT me....
Explored a huge market place of home made treasures. Stuff no one really needs but is fun to bring something home to remind you of this adventure.
Enjoy some visuals:
One of the major industries and exports from Ecuador is flowers. Mostly roses. Here is a mural to the purple rose in the town square.
Well it was a quick dinner for a very short night... 3 a.m. Wake up call for a 7 a.m. flight. We are going to the Galapagos!! The bad news is will be off line until the 17th, be sure to note your calendar and check back next Tuesday for a weeks worth of adventure!!
Cheers!
This looks like an "eye opener" of a trip.
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