Manic Markets

A pig squeals, confused cows are loaded into pickup trucks, guinea pigs are bought for tonight's dinner, chicks and ducks chirp from crowded crates, a man yells unintelligible Spanish into a loud speaker... these are just some of the sites and sounds of the Otavalo animal market.

Every Saturday the small city of Otavalo, surrounded by indigenous villages and beautiful mountains, holds a massive market. Blocks upon blocks of clothes, foods, crafts - anything that can be sold - fill the town center. Tourists come in for the weekend and, along with the locals, haggle over prices with the myriad vendors. You can buy anything from deodorant to Alpaca blankets - of all the markets we've seen it surely takes the cake for size and diversity.

Or, if you want, you can buy a pig... or a cow... or a duck, or a chicken, a kitten, a goat, a puppy, or a guinea pig (the local specialty for the family dinner!). One of the highlights of 7 months travelling is most definitely witnessing the Otavalo animal market. From 5am until about 8am, a giant field is crammed with local farmers buying and selling their livestock and all sorts of creatures. It's a chaotic scene to say the least, the sounds of the animals chattering as well as locals vocally advertising combined with the smells of the livestock and the row of food vendors is complete sensory overload. Sprinkle in a few gringos with cameras and you can begin to get a picture. Make sure to check out our awesome pictures!

You have to see it to believe it, but since most of you can't, we did what we could to provide the next best thing. Check out the video below and make sure to watch and listen closely!

Guinea Pig? $5.
Kitten? $2.
Pig? $75.
Puppy? $28.
Chicken? $2.50.

Otavalo animal market in Ecuador? Ridiculous.

(The Spectacular) Santuario de Las Lajas

After about 5 weeks in Columbia, we found ourselves at the south end of the country ready to move on to Ecuador. When you compare the size of Colombia against most of the Central American countries, you quickly recognize that 5 weeks does not do the country justice. At the same time, we were able to taste a variety of areas from the Caribbean coast, to the desert, to traditional communities in the mountains. We did not find Colombia to be as dangerous as its past reputation would suggest, rather it has become a thriving tourist destination. However, we also did not fall in love with the country as many other travelers we've met working their way north into Central America had. Thus, onward we go.

While excited to start exploring Ecuador, we thought it fitting to stop for one more day at the border town of Ipiales and spend the night out at a nearby “town” called Las Lajas. Las Lajas is home to a spectacular cathedral built right into the side of a cliff, towering over a river that cuts through the valley. It is arguably the most beautiful church in Columbia, and possibly South America in general. Through all his travels in Europe, Rich can recall very few churches that can compare.

The Santuario de Las Lajas was built in the Gothic style after Mary reportedly appeared in the stone on the side of the cliff. In honor of the appearance, they constructed the alter around the actual rock, painting the scene on the rock itself. While the inside of the church impresses you with light that comes through the stain-glass window and reflects off the gold decor, it is the location of the church that is absolutely breathtaking. We arrived as the last service was ending and stayed as the sun set and the church glowed in the valley. We definitely understand how this location has become something of a pilgrimage for some Colombians and other South Americans.

We have since arrived in Ecuador and have spent a handful of days in the small city of Otavalo, two hours from the Colombian boarder. We have enjoyed a chance to shop in a proper local fruit and vegetable market, and take a day hike around a near by lake (pictures added!). The main draw to Otavalo, however, is their weekly market on Saturdays. This market experience has been one of our most unique and deserves a post of its own...coming soon!

Southern Colombia

First off, we've updated a lot of pictures, if you want to see them all, they include the Popayan, San Agustin, and Tatacoa Desert folders.

We're nearing the end of our tenure in Colombia. We've spent a good chunk of time lately in Popayan, a colonial town and a good hub for exploring Southwestern Colombia. There are a few fascinating natural and archaeological sites in the southwest, and we used Popayan as a convenient, pizza-selling, grocery-store-having, internet-accessible home-base for checking out the area.

Our first stop was a three day stay in San Agustin. Surrounded by incredible natural beauty, the most famous part of the area are the old statues that are scattered about the countryside. The statues range in size, but generally mark old tombs and are nearly 3000 years old. The culture that the tombs and statues belong to are a bit mysterious And not much about it are known, but the sites are beautiful and the tombs and statues are fascinating. Additionally, we took an outstanding Jeep tour through the countryside, seeing some of the more remote statue sites as well as two giant waterfalls and beautiful rock formations on the Rio Magdalena. We rode on top of the Jeep to enjoy the outstanding views and to work on our bumpy-road-ass endurance.


Our other stop was an awesome visit to the beautiful (and quirky) Tatacoa Desert. The desert is an environmental oddity, surrounded by the rest of hilly Colombia, but they get only two days of rain per year, and the area looks like a proper, if small, desert. A little slice of Arizona in Colombia.

We walked from the nearest town two hours down a long lonely desert highway as the sunset to arrive at our isolated cabana. We visited an observatory where we saw Jupiter and it's moons through telescopes, and we woke the next morning before sunrise to watch the colors emerge over the orange cracked Earth and cacti. We took a walk around the "Labyrinth," a group of orange sand formations, with a cute kitten in tow, and enjoyed the morning light and cool weather. One of the the best parts was the nearly complete isolation. We spend a lot of time in "touristy" areas, and sitting on the rocks listening to nothing but the wind in the desert was a welcome respite.

After the desert, with our final stop on the southwest tour out of commission with rumors of Colombian rebel activity (good times!), we took an amazingly awful 12 hour bus ride back to Popayan that included a completely-inexcusable 30 minute rest break just 30 minutes before getting into town. But we've recovered by sleeping late, watching movies, and fattening up on Popayan-ese pizza before we head soon to Ecuador.

One more stop to visit a giant cathedral sitting over a gorge near the border, then onward once again!