Last Musings on Things in Otavalo

There are some things about Otavalo that really impressed

us. To start with the city aspects first, I have to mention the sidewalks. I have never seen sidewalks like these before anywhere in the 62 countries we have traveled. Being rubberized, you do not slip when it rains, yet they create lovely and colorful patterns.

As we were walking in a previously undiscovered neighborhood, we spotted this alley. Curious, we walked

 down to take a look at what offerings may be lurking beyond the street view. It was a completely positive revelation to discover that this was just a well decorated and maintain respite from town life. It is a space to stop, rest, and catch your

breath.

In the nearby neighborhood, we walked to the train station. Ecuador only has tourism trains; they no longer have general passenger or freight services. If you read this blog, you will know we took one train ride from Alausí. There is another route available from Otavalo, so we wanted to see if we could

book tickets. Alas, the service is only on Friday and Saturdays from here, so we will miss out. Regardless, we were unduly impressed with the station. For such limited service, the station was lovely. Inside, there was the rail ticket office, a small tourism center, and a couple of souvenir shops: all closed.

I have mentioned before way they celebrate Palm Sunday, but it is an art form worthy of mention again. They use old dried

palms to create vase for greenery. The artisans who create these vases sell them for $1 and the greens are another 50¢. This makes it affordable for most everyone so they can be full participants in the festivities.

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