Day 2 started with another unnecessary early morning breakfast without coffee, but I’m starting to accept that I will not be sleeping. I had my regular South American breakfast, coffee with bread and egg(s). Today’s plan was straight up CHOCOLATE. We had a scenic 2-minute walk into the city plaza where we went to the Yumos Chocolate Factory Store. They educated us on the process of making chocolate in Ecuador, and most importantly, how fair trade works in this country and tgeh importantce of tghe movement. We soon after got a light lunch, which I honestly forget. The days are starting to blur together.

We then hit the road for the second chocolate factory: BIOS. We got a tour of the factory and they even had us working on the line. We got paid in chocolate. I took in the last view of Quito before hitting the road for Otavalo.

After a very hectic but entertaining bus ride to Otovalo, I had my well deserved 10$ filet right over the plaza. We talked about the products we wanted to buy and practiced our bargaining skills on each other. After settling into the hotel, I had much-needed sleep and woke up to a homemade breakfast. We went back to the same restaurant to learn about the indigenous people of Otavalo and their traditional garments and things we can buy at the market. We then spent the day at the market. I learned that I need to work on my bargaining skills. I got FLEECED on everything, but it’s okay because I’m positively contributing to their GDP. After a delicious lunch in the city, we went back to the market, and I spent more money.

I had a great time immersing myself in the culture of Otavalo and learning about the indigenous community and their history. I’m glad that I was able to bring a piece of it home.