We had an early start for the hike around Laguna Cuicocha. Unfortunately there was no hot water for my shower (a problem that was easily rectified though upon following up with the owner it turned out to be nothing more than the pilot light having gone out over night).
It was a selection criteria for our choice of hostal - private bathroom and hot water. Not negotiable - given that the cost inclusive of these "luxuries" was only about US$10 per night, reducing to $7 without them.
I'd been a bit tired and flustered when booking the tour - we'd actually been inquiring about a volcano climb (Cotacachi) but this may have been beyond our fitness level and wasn't available for the next day so, without knowing much about where we going we accepted the tour guides alternative proposal of a hike around a volcano lake. It turned out that we could have very easily organised our own transport their for about $4 via private taxi and done the walk without a guide but it was pleasant enough and the guide we had Luis was pleasant enough and pointed out a few interesting plants.
The lake was beautiful and blue, with a couple of small islands in the middle. Apparently it had been possible to stay on the islands in the past before the area had been made a national park. It was pleasant day and an nice outing - but was overpriced for what we got. We were back at our hotel in the early afternoon.
We spent the afternoon and twilight hours taking a long walk around Otavalo. We walked to a lookout with a large cross (which turned out to be quite common in Sth America) which it appears was a local "make out" place for teenagers as we saw several young couples lying intertwined on the nearby lawns.
We followed the "backstreets" on the hillside which overlooked the town centre, noting some relatively expensive looking places amongst the normal humble abodes.
In the evening we had dinner at "Bohemios" which had the best Pizza that we came across in Sth America. It was a nice place that promised live local music - although with our gradual shift in time zones we were too early for.
A large "Che" poster adourned the wall and full wall large screen projector showing a live spanish concert. Later it changed to a medley of "Classic Rock" clips from the 70's and 80's which were very familiar and funny.
We noted how friendly the staff and the musicians were and how good the food was. It was a highlight - a very pleasant day all round.
