Hola mis amigos! It has been two very full days since I have last blogged. Yesterday, we woke up and headed out to Yumbos chocolate tasting and tour. The stories he told were very interesting about the origins of chocolate in Ecuador. I also think I had the best brownie I’ve ever eaten. We continued our day grabbing lunch at a local shop that was interesting because we didn’t order our food, they just had preset courses to give us. We also stumbled across our friend from Hitu’s other shop, met his brother, and bought some more chocolate.
After Yumbos and our check out from the hotel, we took a bus to Bios Chocolate Factory. It was incredible. The 4th generation owner gave us all of this super cool history and let us try lots of delicious chocolate. He then took us on a tour of the factory (and surprising us with Dubai chocolate strawberries), which was amazing to see. We got to see the machinery and workers firsthand, and we had to wear hair nets. The one machine he said costed $700,000. We got to help with some of the production of the chocolate and wrapped and kept some. Then, he said we get a special deal of 3 bars for $10, which is at cost price he said. Usual bars are $10. I got my fair share of chocolate here; it was truly so delicious.
We then took an over two hour bus ride to Otavalo, where we found our new hotel. The place is beautiful, and it reminds me of the home from Coco. We also ate dinner in the town, and I got steak with eggs on top (Ecuadorian favorite), rice, and fries. This was all $10.50. It still shocks me how far a dollar goes down here.
The next morning, we had a delicious breakfast and headed over to the town. Two of the indigenous townsfolk spoke to us at the restaurant from before about Otavalo and the culture. It was very interesting hearing the stories. After this, we headed to the market. I was so excited for this, and my excitement was not met with an underwhelming performance. It was incredible. I bought a lot and may have spent a little too much money (hence the name of today’s blog), but it was all so beautiful, and pretty cheap. It was so much fun negotiating with all of the owners. It was such a different experience than I was used to. You are supposed to counteroffer with around 60% or maybe 50% of the asking price, and budge as least as you can on your price. After the market we came back to the hotel to drop off our stuff, and then were met with an amazing surprise. The hotel owner’s family member gave us a cultural music experience where he played with traditional instruments, and we had a traditional treat to eat while we listened. We all danced, and it was so much fun. After this we headed to dinner, and I got a T-bone steak ($14). Muy delicioso again (practicing Spanish in the negations was another fun part of the day). After this we headed back for a good night’s rest (after visiting the terrace for a nice view) to prepare for the adventures that await us tomorrow.