Otavalo

This last weekend I had the chance to go a town called Otavalo. This town is famous in Ecuador for a native group that makes and sells all kinds of art and crafts. Every Saturday they have a market open for everyone that spans a huge part of the town. Otavalo is only two hours away from Quito so my friends and I decided to make a day trip out of it.

I have heard from friends that went before that the market is a great place to get gifts for your friends and family. We arrived in Otavalo around 11 and got some lunch at a same restaurant on a street near the market. After lunch we headed into the market. It was amazing to set foot in the market, it seemed to go on forever. It was fun to see the different shopping styles of my friends. Some of my friends wanted to look around at everything before they even bought anything. But I am the kinda of person that when I see something I want I know that I want it so I just go ahead and buy it.

                                               

One of the most important parts about the market in Otavalo is that you are allowed and encouraged to barter for the items that you want. I have a friend who is also studying abroad who was really good at bartering and she gave me some pointers. What she always does is ask  how much the vendor wants for an item and then asks for half the price and then from there they work their way into an agreement.

                                               

One of the main items that I wanted was a hammock. I found a stand that sold them right in the first part of the market. I was able to get a great price for it. I was also able to find gifts for my family while I was there. You could easily spend a lot of money there and come home with a ton of items.