the story of otavalo.

have you ever had one of those weekends that seemed like everything was straight out of a movie? the past 24 hours have been exactly that. 

yesterday, 6:15 couldn't come fast enough. it had been a long week and we were more than ready for our weekend getaway. when we (finally) got out of class, we headed straight to the supermaxi (that is the name of the grocery store here, not to be confused with a feminine product) to get some snacks before our departure. there were five of us - leah, danielle, sydney, juilan, and me. if you're a regular reader, julian is a new character. he is a bloke from sussix, as i like to say, and he takes classes at the same place we do. he definitely wins the best accent award. 

anyway, after we stocked up on goodies for the trip, the five of us piled into the cab, which took us to the estacion ofelia, the one at the north of the city where we were told to catch the bus to otavalo. friday night traffic, plus six deep in a cab, plus ecuadorian drivers do not mix well. our relief to be out of the cab was stumped when several different sources at the station told us we were not in the right place... we had needed to go to the other station to catch the bus to otavalo. hmmm. that would mean another 30 minute cab ride back south. we decided to take our chances, and somewhat randomly got on a bus that was heading north, in the general direction we needed to go. 

after about 45 minutes, we start chatting with the people next to us. they look at us like we're crazy when we tell them we're trying to get to otavalo, and tell us that we need to get off where the road Ys, walk to the left, and get on a different bus. perfect. clear as mud. we hop off the bus in the nick of time. 

as we're getting off the bus, i just start laughing... the thought that we are in the small-town ecuador in a somewhat deserted town in the middle of the night, trying to catch a bus that we know nothing about, was just funny to me. that, and the fact that the first thing i saw when i stepped off the bus was a man peeing. just out in the open. 

so we walk about 100 meters down the road, to the left. 

hmmm. we were not seeing any buses. after a while, i just start waving down any vehicle that looks tall enough to be a bus. i figured they wouldn't stop if they weren't interested in giving us a ride. luckily, after about 15 minutes we see the bus! we were gonna make it. 

we made it! we are in otavalo and all we have to do now is get to our hostal. we grab another cab and direct him to drive to "la casa luna," our hostal. 

we knew our hostal was off the beaten path, but after ten minutes in the car and our one-off cabby, carlos washington, driving into what seemed to be oblivion, i was sure we were done for. we've made it pretty far guys, but this is the end of the road, i thought. 

to my surprise and delight, carlos washington came through! we really did make it! we settled into our two bedroom suite, built a fire and soon called it a night. 

the next morning came early. otavalo is known for its extensive markets, and we had heard that early morning was the best time to shop. we woke up around 7am, took a few minutes to enjoy the gorgeous view from our hostal and then headed to town. 

the market was incredible. after five hours of wandering through a maze of stands, i don't think we even scratched the surface of what was there. we picked up some great finds including jewelry, clothing, art and other home decor. 

we were exhausted by 12:30, so we decided to call it quits on the market. after grabbing lunch at the hostal, we called a cab to take us to the bus station. brace yourself, this is when the story turns tragic. 

as i've mentioned before, ecuadorian drivers are all bats-outta-hell, and yield to nothing. up until this point, however, i've been surprised by the lack of serious collisions. so, we're driving to the station. suddendly, we see a puppy run out in the road... the driver doesn't slow down, but this is normal. hurry up, puppy, i'm thinking, hoping it will make it across before we come close. before i know it, i can no longer see the puppy... oh no, i hope it got across... wait. what is that noise... oh no... this can't be happening... oh no! oh no oh no oh no!!!!! 

oh my gosh, we all gasped in disbelief. our heartless cabby just ran over a puppy! and we were in the car! i wanted to cry. then i wanted to punch the driver when he started laughing about the whole thing. it was one of the saddest things that has ever happened to me. 

i hate to end on a downer, but there is nowhere to go after the puppy. stupid cab driver. 

"in view of the fact that god limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair that he did not also limit his stupidity." --konrad adenauer