Our Trip to Cotacachi (Part 3 of 3)

On our first day in Cotacachi, we were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to see an amazing parade. I'm not sure what was being celebrated but I think it had something to do with music and the schools in town. All ages participated in the parade and they demonstrated the various dances throughout Latin America, wearing the appropriate dress.

I especially enjoyed the youngest dancers, and the oldest were able to participate in their wheelchairs!

Hope you enjoy the pictures:
































The youngest ...
























Even the dog got in the act!












































































The indigenous dress

























... and the oldest!

















































































































































































































































































































































The parade lasted for over an hour. I'm sure that everyone worked very hard on putting this together. It looked perfect, and everyone was sure enjoying themselves.

Our Trip to Cotacachi (Part 2 of 3)

Cotacachi is a small town nestled between 2 large volcanoes in a beautiful country setting. I took pictures of the country gardens we saw along with some beautiful country homes.

































































































































































































We also went to Otavalo which is the next town over. There is a river that separates Cotacachi and Otavalo. Otavalo is a larger town with a population of about 80,000. They are well known for their textile products. There is a large outdoor marketplace where you can buy woven items and jewelry. The market is open everyday but on Saturday you can find the largest selection of vendors with their wares. I took a few pictures of the marketplace.








































On the outskirts of Otavalo, you can hike to Peguche Falls. It is about a 15 minute hike from the parking lot but well worth it. There were a lot of high school kids at the falls trying to throw each other into the water. They were having a lot of fun but we were worried that someone might lose their footing and fall down the falls. But they must do this all the time and no one was getting hurt.





















































See the kids behind the bridge, in the water!