Just returned to Quito after spending three days in Otavalo, a large village/small city about two hours north of Quito. During our time in Otavalo, we visited many mastercraftsmen including a famous wood carver, leather maker, weaver, and instrument maker. It was amazing to see the incredible art of crafting things for daily use by hand – like bedspreads and purses – that we can get commercially made anywhere in the States. For example, when we visted the weaver, he showed us how he brushed the raw wool repeatedly by hand, then spun yarn, then dyed it with materials like dried worms (purple), moss (yellow), and walnuts (brown) before weaving it on his backstrap loom.

After hanging out in Otavalo with our friends Matt and Lindsay and Lindsay´s parents, Joe and I headed out to Papallacta, a town high in the mountains where hot springs flow. We enjoyed the morning lounging in the hot pools, then cooling off in the nearby river while looking at 15,000 foot peaks all around us.

Life is great in Ecuador!