Otavalo, Ecuador
Our first stop in Ecuador was in Otavalo. After breakfast and our first orientation we started to cruise the city. The first thing the group went to was the market. The market was absolutely crazy!! People were everywhere screaming Spanish, assuming it was the price or what they were selling. I got approached several times asking to buy a belt. “No gracias” I would say. The market was packed with people and little stands selling anything and everything. Shoes, hats, jewelry, belts, watches, and sweaters were all being sold. They had everything. Sometimes it got very uncomfortable being in the mosh pit though because it was very crowded and everyone was bumping into everyone. I noticed that every time I got bumped or bumped into someone I was saying, excuse me and excuse me but no one said anything back. It was like they were used to it or it just truly didn’t bother them that much. I kept walking around some more and walked into the food market. I actually thought the whole thing looked beautiful. All of the colors of the food and the smell were spectacular. It was too bad we weren’t able to eat any of it because we would’ve gotten sick because I would’ve had a field day in there. When I was walking to the estadio, I noticed a guy had a huge bag. He pulled out 4 little puppies and was trying to sell them. I couldn’t believe it that someone would actually put puppies in a bag but then realized I’m not in the U.S. anymore… this is their culture. When I arrived to the estadio I was deeply saddened since it was all torn up for renovations. That was a big bummer.
That feeling was quickly erased though when we went to Cotacachi. I did a hike with the group and after 10 steps, I was quickly out of breath. Not in Minnesota anymore, quickly realized that I was about 10,300 feet above sea level. 2 miles!!! When I got to the top of the hill, the view was unbelievable. Pictures couldn’t even explain how beautiful it was. I could sit on a lawn chair and stare at it all day. I got a couple of great pictures of it and hiked back down.
Overall the day was spectacular. It was eye opening how different Ecuador’s culture is from the United States and it was only my first day! I really look forward to the rest of the trip and can’t wait to see some soccer stuff.
