Otavalo, Ecuador

We stopped in the town of Ipaires, 7km away from the Ecuador border for one night and crossed the next day. It was all very easy getting out of Colombia, no queues and a quick stamp. I changed the last of my pesos on the border which I wouldn't usually have done but it was a good rate. The guy nearly did me out of $10 by using a fixed calculator though. I'd done my research and had a list of how many dollars I should get at different rates so I quickly showed him what I should have been getting on a mobile phone so all was sorted. Ecuador was also a quick stamp and even the truck got through in record time. Sadly Keith and Karen were on the Ecuador system of being an overstay as they hadn't been entered into the computer when they had left Ecuador after a previous visit. Keith was cleared after 2 hours but Karen wasn't. We headed on to Otavalo but Karen, husband Steve and Kirsten had to go back to Colombia and go to the Ecuador embassy who couldn't do anything about it. After phone calls to the British consulate in Quito the Ecuador immigration people wouldn't budge resulting in Karen's old passport with the departure stamp having to be found at home and scanned to prove that she did leave the country 8 years ago!! I think we were all amazed to see them when they turned up that evening, only a couple of hours after us and has left everyone wondering where their old passports are!

We had a lovely walk around Otavalo today. Its central square is filled with tourist based craft market and the town was a great place to people watch. The older men and women walk around in traditional dress of long heavy skirts, ponchos, blankets/capes, lots of different hats, embroidered shirts and as a general rule they are the shortest people I have ever seen. Some of them couldn't have been taller than 4 foot 5!! Vanessa felt tall and Geoff felt like Gulliver! It was nice to have mooch around the stalls and I ended up buying a lovely winter coat from one of the shops. I think it's safe to say that we were spoilt for choice and that many souvenirs have been bought. I think the thing that's shocked people the most about Ecuador so far though is the fact that it's so cold. The warm weather gear is back out and it feels very wrong wearing it when we are practically on the equator! Next stop Quito and the Galapogos islands.