Ecuador 4/23/2016 - 5/15/2016 |
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Saturday, 5/7/2016 - Otavalo MarketWe got up at 6:30 a.m., and went to breakfast at 7:30. It was my beloved crepes with fresh berry jam! Yum!Today is market day in Otavalo. There are lots of indigenous crafts for sale. Sisa and Rosa took us to the market. We took a camioneta to Quiroga, where we caught the bus to Otavalo. Once there, we wandered amongst the outdoor stalls. We bought a folk painting (oil on sheepskin) for our friends Gaurang and Alison, whom we will be seeing soon after we return home. When we had last browsed the market stalls, in 2010, I had bought a spondylus shell pendant. Spondylus is a mollusk which has been important to Andean people since pre-Columbian times. It has been found in archaeological digs, and was used as an offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth), and as currency. Unfortunately, my pendant was stolen when our house was robbed. Apparently the robbers didn't understand that it isn't used as currency today, LOL. Anyway, I had wanted to replace it, and I found an artisan in the market today who was selling hand-made pendants. I happily bought one. We bought crocheted finger puppets for the kids (a baby, a Minion, and Peppa Pig). We bought Rosa a new anako and fachalina (traditional skirts and sash) for Mother's Day. We bought each kid an outfit. We bought Yupanqui a sweater for school, and Sisa a pair of sandals. We bought Shina some Peppa Pig sneakers that light up. She doesn't like to wear shoes, and we hoped that this would be a good incentive. We bought lots of fruits and veggies at the market as well. Then we went to TIA supermaket to buy supplies for a Mother's Day dinner tomorrow. Craig and I had decided that we wanted to give Rosa a break on her special day, since she is always working so hard to take care of everyone. Our cooking repertoire is pretty limited, so we decided to make eggplant parmiagiana. Although making sauce from scratch would have been preferable, it was not really something we could pull off here. But we found jarred sauce as well as all of the other ingredients (except for parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top). Rosa was curious as to how we prepare eggplant in the U.S. Whether we will be able to use the oven to cook said meal is questionable. There has been a cooking gas shortage. The truck that normally comes through the village selling it has not come since we have been here (we suspect it may be due to the earthquake on the coast, it is probably much needed by people there), and we are running low. If it runs out before tomorrow, we may have to improvise and cook over the fire. That would be...interesting! Once we were finished with our shopping, we were loaded down with heavy bags, and it was almost lunch time. We got some ice cream and then decided to take a taxi back home. It would be faster and more comfortable than taking a bus with all of our heavy bags. And the taxi only cost $7. The cab driver was playing music from a USB drive. Was that "Catch the Rainbow" by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow? Why yes, it was. I couldn't resist singing along with Dio, and the driver got a big smile and gave me the thumbs up. His playlist also included "Ready for Love" (Bad Company), "When a Blind Man Cries" (Deep Purple), and "Love Hurts" (Nazareth). We gave him an extra tip in appreciation for the good soundtrack. When we got back to the house, the kids tried on their new clothes and shoes. Sisa distributed the finger puppets to her siblings. For lunch, we had soup, melloco, tuna, rice, avocado, plantains, and strawberry juice. Antonio's band came over to practice again. We played with the kids outside while enjoying the music. The kids were being particularly silly. They made crowns for us, and Sisa initiated a staring contest with Craig. For dinner, we had a nice meal of soup, lentils, rice, chicken, and broccoli. After dinner, the family watched the hottest Youtube video in the Otavalo area these days: "Wiskisito" by Jokawas. This is Andean music mixed with pop (the opening is a pastiche of "Funky Town" and "Land Down Under"). It is a catchy tune with a fun video. The video shows women in traditional dress (note the beautifully embroidered blouses, necklaces, and coral bead bracelets). The gist of the song is that they DON'T want Coca Cola; they want a little bit of whiskey ("wiskisito")...LOL! "Coca cola no quiero, Wiskisito quiero yo!" This song has truly gone viral in the area. Antonio's band just learned to play it. And we heard it emanating from every CD-selling stall at the market today. We went to bed on the early side. It had been a great day spending time with the family. Tomorrow will be Mother's Day! |
 Otavalo Market  Sisa and Peluchin  Achi Mama with Shina and Sisa  Achi Taita and Sisa have a staring contest See all photos from this day |
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