Otavalo

Last weekend some people that I met here and I went to a town a few hours away called Otavalo.
It's a small town that is known for it's Saturday market. We didn't get up early enough to catch the animal market from 4am-9am but we did make the rest of the market.
The market fills the street of this town with canopied stalls selling everything from sneakers and everyday where to the traditional crafts of the people of the area. Some people say the market has gotten touristy, which is true when you see a bunch arrive on tour buses after 12 but the things that they sell are also used by the people here and is a way to sell food from their farms.
I had been excited to go and buy, buy, buy. But I had realized that Moroccan markets had kind of put me off to markets. The vendors were definitely not as aggressive but you did have to bargain. Which I am just no good at. I was lucky to have Nazli who had grown up in Iran and was used to bargaining, so I told her what I wanted and she got it for me.
For lunch we met up with a few other people. The restaurant had a balcony where I took my few stealth pictures from. Even though the women wear these beautiful cloths and I think can be quite beautiful themselves, they don't like their picture being taken by strangers. Which I can't say I blame them. So I didn't take to many pictures.
Daniel was unable to come with use because of work so one weekend we will go back. I am hoping to go for a day or two. Even though the big attraction is the Saturday market the surrounding area is beautiful with some mountains with good hiking and a huge lake, which supposedly a giant drowned in because it has no bottom.