The border crossing from Colombia was smooth & quick and before we knew it we were on another bus bound for Otavalo - 3 hours down the road. Whilst on this trip the bus was stopped by police wishing to check some bags. Claire's rucksack was removed and completely emptied as part of their check. Boy were we glad we had decided not to take that kilo of cocaine back in Colombia!! We finally arrived at our accommodation, La Luna, almost 14 hours after leaving Popayan. We were tired and hungry....and there was no one answering the bell. We were 4km outside of town in almost complete darkness wondering what to do. Inside the large gates to La Luna was a dog the size of a small horse, I kid you not. So Claire decided that I should go in and scope out the scene!! Fortunately the dog, Milky, was extremely tame and placid and I found someone to welcome us in and treat our ailments (hunger & fatigue). La Luna is a beautiful hostel with large open fires in the bedrooms as well as the common areas. Bliss. We slept like royalty.
We had expected to meet a Canadian biker couple, Peter & Carol, but it seemed like we were the only lodgers. We had met them in Popayan and they were, supposedly, heading in this direction also. The next day, feeling like a million dollars, Claire & I took in a long walk that offered fabulous views over Otavalo & its surrounding volcanoes and lakes. We walked on what is believed to be an old Inca road, passed through tomato orchards (if the term orchard can be applied to tomatoes) and even came across a deserted bull ring. Whilst enjoying a late lunch back at La Luna Peter & Carol walked through the door. They had been refused entry to Ecuador the previous day. Apparently the custom official wanted a bribe. 
Otalvalo is renowned as the site of one of South Americas most important markets. It dates back to pre-Inca times, when jungle products were brought up from the Eastern lowlands and traded for highland goods. The market is on every day but is particularly big on Saturdays. Peter, Carol, Claire and myself decided to walk down to town and see if we could pick up a bargain. En-route we decided to take a detour to Taxopamba waterfall. Again, we had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed the company of our biker buddies. Peter & Carol, 5 years ago, had taken their bike right around the world. This time these 2 Canadians headed south out of Canada with the intention of riding all the way to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina....and then ride all the way up again! 
The market in Otavalo was the usual fare - beads, jumpers, hammocks, ornaments, etc. We bought nuttin´. As was our custom we headed back to La Luna, got the log fire going, ordered up a few beers and watched a DVD. We even brought blankets in from the bedroom for extra comfort. We had the whole place to ourselves.After 3 days of luxury in La Luna we bade goodbye to Peter & Carol, even though they were heading to Quito also, and hopped on a bus to the nations Capital. I´m not sure when we´ll have a beautiful open fire in our bedroom again ;-(
Carol, Peter, Claire & Dave
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