Like A Virgen

Sorry, it's 19 July today and we've been in Ecuador for over four weeks without a word!

We stayed overnight on the Colombian border at Ipiales, in the weird Hotel Metropol, then spent next morning visiting the Virgen de los Lajas and her church, a pilgrimage site second only to Lourdes (so I read).


Set magnificently into the rock, the interior of this Hogwarts-esque marvel is a symphony in white with gold detail, lighter and more airy than the usual heavy gold gloom. Beautiful.


On to the border, changing pesos to US dollars then crossing to Tulcan, Ecuador, where our bags are immediately taken out of the cab for us by waiting strangers...

They know where we are headed though, and we've paid for and have bus tickets to Otavalo in our hands before we can even catch our breath. $3 for a three hour bus trip - bargain, and my accounts are looking healthier already.

A quick bus change, leaving my guitar at the bus stop (I run back and it's still sitting there, surrounded by some workmen who ask me for a tune), then we head for hostel Chasqui.



Otavalo, a pleasant town, touristy in season, and with a huge market full of colourful alpaca ponchos, bags, blankets, socks, jumpers, scarves... we could have spent a fortune.


We had a nice Mexican on our first rainy night (tasty food really is at a premium in South America), then next day took a bus to sunny Cotacachi to see a local festival.



This consisted of lads from two local villages dressed in furry chaps and big square stovepipe hats stamping slowly around the town square.


Some had 'whips' so we guessed this was a symbolic 'cattle' drive. Not sure about the hats' significance.

Watching the action carefully were several squads of riot police in full robocop gear. Apparently it all gets a bit tasty after dark when alcohol has been taken...


We got chatting to the Smiths from the States. He was in real estate and told us Ecuador, and Cotacachi especially, is a prime retirement spot for senior US expats. Fancy that.


We took the bus back to Otavalo where Ecuador were sadly leaving the World Cup. Next stop for us though, Quito..