Yesterday we arrived via bus to Otavalo, about an hour and a half north of Quito. For the next three weeks we’re staying just out of town, at Peter and Sarah’s house on the grounds of Casa Mojanda. Aside from having all the comforts of home, it is insanely beautiful. Every window boasts an expansive view of farmland, two volcanoes (Cotacachi and Imbabura), and rolling hills full of shining blue Eucalyptus. Otavalo has a rich cultural and political history, which we will delve into in a future post.

Today we decided to take “the back way” into town to buy some food at the market. The hike felt as though we walked right into a children’s book–idyllic farmland scenery, people tending crops, and the usual: the cow goes moo, the pig goes oink, the rooster goes cock a doodle doo.

On our walk, we were struck by the juxtaposition of the hard work of sustenance farming, and impoverished living conditions, with the utter serenity that surrounds. We took a taxi home with our bags full.

This trip will be about many things for us. One that stands out is our abundant privilege to be able to undertake this journey, and the learning experiences we will have in such beautiful, albeit complex, locations.

Here’s where we are right now:
(Peter & Sarah’s House, Otavalo)