Carnival 2010: Otavalo

Our last destination was to Otavalo, one of Ecuador's largest market towns. Check it out:

Otavalo: picture taken from our Hostal roof top

Checking out the food market
A little rainy day love

This next section is a personal favorite. Certainly, one of the most interesting things I've seen in Ecuador. On our last day in Otavalo, Jon, K and I left for the animal market at 6:30 am. This is what we found:

As we got closer to the market, we started mixing more with the locals and their animals for sale. It just kept getting bigger and bigger as we approached the designated market area.

As we were leaving, we noticed a big commotion and went to check it out. These guys were all standing around with their prized "Cocks", looking for a fight. As some were for sale, they would arrange some short fights to show off the birds. No, I'm not condoning Cock fighting, but when the they go at it and the dirt is flying, it's exciting! This is certainly a cultural tradition amongst those in the Andes and I'm glad we were able to witness it.

Grrrrrrr!

For those of you wondering, K rocked the trip! She made many friends with taxi drivers, waiters and vendors. She can now say she has many Latino lovers all over Ecuador. Thanks Jr. Richerts, for making the trip down to Ecuador and joining us on these adventures.