A boy is pulling two pigs over the famous Panamericana, which is a disappointingly medium-sized road here in the North of Ecuador. We are here for the renowned Saturday market of Otavalo, one of the famous Ecuadorian markets. We like to see normal life in the countries we travel in. And visiting big markets is always a great experience. One of the biggest and most archaic markets we have seen was the Hotan Sunday Market in Xinjiang, China. And, on the other end of the spectrum, the huge industrialised flower auction in Aalsmeer. Ecuadorian markets are both efficient and traditional in a time-honoured style.
Finally we find the animal market behind cardboard boxes full of chicklets and rice bags full of guinea pigs. The guinea pigs are a delicacy in Ecuador and we see prospective buyers probing the belly of the cute rodents .
Cattle auction or cancer education? Ecuadorian markets do both!
From a loudspeaker mounted on a van some loud announcements are blaring over the cows – a cattle auction, we guess. But no, after a while of listening we can make out that it is an educational sermon about prostate cancer. A closer inspection of the van confirms this: the car is decorated with appropriately grizzly pictures. Next to the van an ice-cream seller is stomping through the mud carrying a plate of ice-cream and cones on her head. In spite of the location and the unpleasant weather she easily finds customers.
Those craving more hearty snacks or an early lunch try their luck with intestine soups and whole roasted pigs in the stalls all around the animal market.
Textile and handicraft on an Ecuadorian market
A few blocks away from the animal market the town is teeming with other, less smelly items on sale. In Otavalo, several roads in the centre are closed for traffic. In addition, rows of temporary market stalls connect the food, textile and handicraft markets set up on all the squares.
A few days later we are visiting another weekly Ecuadorian market in the small town of Saquisilí near Latacunga. Contrary to Otavalo there are almost no proper stalls. Everything is just laid out on the concrete floor under the multi-purpose roof that we see in all the Ecuadorian villages. We try Moroccho (a sweet rice porridge drink).
„Isn’t it really good? If I have two glasses of it, I don’t need anything else until the evening“
an indigena lady tells Natascha.
In the end, we can stock up on cookies and fruits before we head for a three-day hike in the Quilotoa area.
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