Otavalo, Ecuador

Just got back from the market in Otavalo, it was brilliant, we stayed there two nights as there isn´t a great deal to do there once you´ve seen it.
We have posted some pics on the blog that are really colourful, I hope you enjoy them.
The market really is a sight to see, it is a myriad of sounds, smells and colours, they sell everything from arts & crafts to fruit & veg.
There were 80 year old women sat shelling peas to sell, for every pod they shelled they ate one.
The locals come from all over to set up stall and also to visit the markets to buy and sell their wares.
All of the fruit and veg is organically grown in their own gardens and more often than not the meat is the same (i dont mean the animals are grown) they have their own sheep, pigs and cattle tied up in their gardens grazing, usually with a couple of dogs and a few chickens thrown in for good measure.
A lot of the time the animals have free reign of the house too and it is not uncommon to see chickens and sheep etc going in and out of the household!!
The view coming out of Quito to the market was also amazing as we were really high up, it really is a sprawling city, that when high up you can see for miles.
When we went on a tour to the Cotopaxi the other day our tour guide told us here in Quito you can buy a brand new apartment for $15,000!
Apparently 60-80% of Ecuadorians live in poverty,it really is a shame to see the conditions that most of them live in, the majority of them though are happy and always courteous and say hello in passing.
The price of my Oakley sunglasses alone would most probably keep a family of 4 in food for a month, if there is ever any resentment towards backpackers and Westerners it is totally understandable why.
There were some strange sights whilst on the bus to and from Otavalo, and apologies in advance for telling you about them.. on the roadside this morning I saw a dead dog with it´s head tied up in a plastic bag, and before that there were around half a dozen animal carcasses (heads) at the side of a busy street with people wandering by oblivious.
I also saw at least 4 men urinating in the street, it really is a strange place, that said there is a serious shortage of public toilets, and then when you do eventually find one they´re not fit to p**s in anyway!!
My experience of Veggie food on the plane or should I say the lack of it ended at the airport, there is a wide range of Veggie dishes available in most restaurants and also some Veggie Restaurants, I actually had a Veggie hotdog the first night we arrived in Quito, and in Otavalo we found this little bohemian cafe that was run by Canadians who spoke perfect English, in 13 years of my being Veggie I have to say this was far the best Veggie burger I have ever had, wedged between a big chunk of home-made bread.
Who would have thought it in South America!!
There are also lots of Italian restaurants, the other night we got chatting to a couple of Canadian Business men, one of who spoke fluent Spanish.
Anyway he bought us both a drink and wished us luck on our travels which was very hospitable of him.
Well I think this will be the last post for a few days as we fly out to the Jungle tomorrow (gasp) I´m really really nervous about it having seen the pics of the spiders and stuff and all the mozzies that there are.
We started taking our anti-malarials yesterday as prescribed by the Doc, so hopefully there will be no side effects from them.
Spiders and mozzies aside though I am looking forward to it.
Anyway that´s about it for now, will blog again next weekend with some pics of the Amazon.
Have a good week all.