Of course, the sun-burn didn’t die down at all and I woke up with a panda face: bright red swollen cheeks, nose, chin and forehead with white circles around the eyes. Great. I actually didn’t feel too well with it either, but nevertheless it was time to set off on the Quilotoa Loop: a series of traditional Andean villages spread around a 200km circuit, amidst breathtaking highland scenery.
I decided to start off in the small village of Saquisilí, since it was market day. Every Thursday, indigenous people from remote villages in the highlands descend on Saquisilí to buy fruit, vegetables, meat and even live animals. Its apparently one of the most important indigenous markets in Ecuador and I was happy to have the chance to go since I’d missed the more famous (and significantly more touristy) Otavalo market near Quito.
The market really took over the village, sprawling over 4 or 5 different squares, with people lining the streets in between, selling their wares from small tables, or just laid out on the pavement. It really wasn’t touristy at all: there were only a couple of stalls around the edge selling bags/ shawls and other tourist stuff, but the vast majority of the space was dedicated to food and of course animals, with people haggling animatedly with each other.
There were so many brilliant photo opportunities but I actually didn’t feel very comfortable taking pictures here. I noticed several people shooting me hostile looks when they saw the camera around my neck, a couple of people shook their fingers at me when they saw me taking photos, and on the occasions when I asked if I could take a photo, one woman said no (quite angrily), and two others asked for a dollar in payment! In the end I stopped taking photos and just wandered around enjoying the weird and wonderful sights.
Afterwards I hopped on the bus towards Chugchilán, another small village where I would spend the night. The bus ride in itself was an experience, as it was packed with villagers taking their shopping home from the market. Most of the bags and baskets were tied to the roof of the bus, and at least one of these was a basket of live guinea pigs: I could hear them squeaking away as we drove off!
When you’re waiting for the bus to leave, and when it makes stops along the way, people jump on and try to sell things. Usually its bottled drinks, or snacks like bread rolls, ice cream, or fruit although I’ve also seen roast chicken, and sometimes you get more random things like padlocks, or wallets, or children’s colouring books. The sellers jump on and walk up and down the aisle calling out the name of their product over and over again. I’ve noticed here that they add “-ito” or “-ita” onto the end of words which literally makes it "a little one", though apparently its more like an affectionate term than a reference to size. “Mandarina” (mandarin) becomes “mandarinita”, “uvas” (grapes) become “uvitas” and my favourite, “un dollar” becomes “un dollarito” (just one little dollar!).
It took around 3.5 hours to get to Chugchilán, and most of the villagers were on the bus until the very end. Can you imagine taking the bus for 3.5 hours each way, to buy your apples, eggs and potatoes? (and guinea pigs?!)
Chugchilán is a tiny village with no real shops or restaurants, but since its the starting point for a number of good hikes in the area, there are a couple of decent hostels. My hostel was $12 for a private room with private bathroom, including dinner and breakfast! Can’t complain! Dinner was a communal affair with the seven other travellers who were staying there. I met a nice French couple, Chloé and Jean-Sébastien who were planning to do the same hike as me the next day, so we decided to go together.
I decided to start off in the small village of Saquisilí, since it was market day. Every Thursday, indigenous people from remote villages in the highlands descend on Saquisilí to buy fruit, vegetables, meat and even live animals. Its apparently one of the most important indigenous markets in Ecuador and I was happy to have the chance to go since I’d missed the more famous (and significantly more touristy) Otavalo market near Quito.
The market really took over the village, sprawling over 4 or 5 different squares, with people lining the streets in between, selling their wares from small tables, or just laid out on the pavement. It really wasn’t touristy at all: there were only a couple of stalls around the edge selling bags/ shawls and other tourist stuff, but the vast majority of the space was dedicated to food and of course animals, with people haggling animatedly with each other.
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| Haggling over vegetables |
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| Pig parts, anyone? |
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| The outlook didn't seem promising for these little guys |
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| Two hats are better than one! |
When you’re waiting for the bus to leave, and when it makes stops along the way, people jump on and try to sell things. Usually its bottled drinks, or snacks like bread rolls, ice cream, or fruit although I’ve also seen roast chicken, and sometimes you get more random things like padlocks, or wallets, or children’s colouring books. The sellers jump on and walk up and down the aisle calling out the name of their product over and over again. I’ve noticed here that they add “-ito” or “-ita” onto the end of words which literally makes it "a little one", though apparently its more like an affectionate term than a reference to size. “Mandarina” (mandarin) becomes “mandarinita”, “uvas” (grapes) become “uvitas” and my favourite, “un dollar” becomes “un dollarito” (just one little dollar!).
It took around 3.5 hours to get to Chugchilán, and most of the villagers were on the bus until the very end. Can you imagine taking the bus for 3.5 hours each way, to buy your apples, eggs and potatoes? (and guinea pigs?!)
Chugchilán is a tiny village with no real shops or restaurants, but since its the starting point for a number of good hikes in the area, there are a couple of decent hostels. My hostel was $12 for a private room with private bathroom, including dinner and breakfast! Can’t complain! Dinner was a communal affair with the seven other travellers who were staying there. I met a nice French couple, Chloé and Jean-Sébastien who were planning to do the same hike as me the next day, so we decided to go together.
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