Day 4: MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE Quito, Otavalo, Cotacachi, & San Pablo del Lago

We awoke in Quito, all of us anxiously wondering what would happen with Joe and Cindy’s residency. We couldn’t believe the so called “immigration expert” responsible for submitting and getting their paperwork processed had abandoned them. What was going on with their application? They had no idea. Thankfully, they at least had a case number which was proof that it been submitted initially to immigration, but where it had gone from there we had no clue. As I’d mentioned before, they had already paid this buffoon the necessary government processing fees as well as most of his for his so-called services, so they should have had their residency visas stamped and all set by this time. Operative words: should have.

With the address in hand that Joe had been given by the immigration office in Cuenca, we set off on foot. Jeff and I thought it a little strange that things around us seemed unfamiliar considering we’d been there before, but we figured it was maybe because we were coming from a different hotel perspective, or that they’d since changed buildings. Nope. They’d been given the wrong address. Which begs the question as to why the immigration office in Cuenca didn’t have the correct address for the one in Quito. Ah, we figured. One of those quirky little Latin American mysteries. So we finally got to the right one, and lo and behold, they were told the fantastic news that their residencies had been approved. Woohoo! Now, how hard would it have been for their representative (a North American, I might add), to find that out for them and shoot them an email? He would’ve been a hero instead of a shmuck who cost them another $630. I’ll use one of my favorite words here: twerp! (which is putting it mild.)

Anyway, that’s when we decided to head up to Otavalo, the site of the biggest and most well known market for Ecuadorian artesan handcrafts. When we drove into the busy little town, my heart sank. This is it? I thought. I’d pictured a sweet little rural one-road town and all I saw was a whole lot of cement, with graffiti to boot. Yet although it bustled, I wasn’t disappointed when we finally found the market. A profusion of color blasted at us. I loved it. Blankets and rugs, sweaters and backpacks, paintings and hand-carved gourds - all kinds of crafts as far as the eye could see. And this was only Monday. Apparently it’s full blown on Saturdays. Can’t imagine. 

And the people. Oh, the people. The indigenous here wear variations of a certain customary outfit - white embroidered blouse with angel sleeves, black skirt, black hat. They sold them in stores we passed, and I was tempted to get at least a blouse. But that is them, and not me. Besides, it almost seems disrespectful.  

So, two watercolors and a sweater for Jeff later, we were off again, this time north to Cotacachi. We’d been reading about it online as an alternative retirement destination for expats - one more peaceful and rural than the city. Unfortunately we didn’t spend a lot of time exploring, so what we saw seemed similar to Otavalo but smaller. What we did do, was spend a lot of time in its stores - one leather shop after another - gorgeous, soft leather goods are Cotacachi’s thing. Jeff and I tried jackets on, but didn’t break down to get one. Maybe some day we’ll go back...

So where were we going to stay for the night? We consulted TripAdvisor, and although there were several places in the area, we decided to go further back south toward Quito. It just so happened that forest fires were all too common in this dry area, and one must have been raging. Its smoke wreaked havoc on our lungs. So that’s how we ended up in the most wonderful hacienda we could’ve imagined - The Hacienda Cusin, circa 1600’s. As I’d mentioned before, I’m planning to devote a blog just to the cool places we stayed on this trip. But this one, cozy fireplaces in every room and all, was the most incredible. Stay tuned!