Finally arrived in Ecuador last night! I was so excited to get off the plane and see where I would be staying the next 3 weeks! We were all exhausted by the time we arrived that once we got to the hotel we all went to our rooms and crashed. Today (our first real day in Ecuaodr) we went to the Otavalo market. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen. I have been to markets in the U.S. but nothing like this. All the shops were lined up on the streets and there were so many people walking around. The scarves and sweaters were absolutely beautiful. It was amazing to see these handmade pieces of art. It was an interesting experience though for the first day. I came into this trip not knowing any Spanish so it was a challenge to walk around the market while not understanding the language.
One of the first observations I made thought while in the market was how close everything and everyone is. When your walking people will walk right into you and keep going. Also, as you walk people walk so close to you. In the U.S. our personal space is so important to us. Here, people walk right up behind you and when you talk to people they speak very close to your face. It was definitely something to get used to because I am so used to having my little “bubble” back at home.
We were able to have lunch but then it was on the road again. This time we went to Cuicocha. When we arrived we saw this insanely beautiful lake! We were able to decide whether we wanted to do a boat tour or a hike. A small group of us decided to be brave and do the hike. It was insane! Not only was I exhausted and definitely affected by the altitude but also the view was nothing I had ever seen. People always talk about having this special moment when you realize how beautiful and large the world is and realizing there has to be something bigger then us to have created it and this was my moment. I really came to terms with where I was and how lucky I am.
When we went to the weaving and music workshops it really showed me how important traditions are here. These people have been making sweaters, scarves, or musical instruments the same way for years! You can tell these people really care about keeping traditions alive and respecting those traditions.
So far I am absolutely loving it here. I feel so lucky and privileged to be here and do all these amazing things!! LETS THE ADVENTURES BEGIN!
