A couple things about Otavalo

Hi, I'm Anna, the Director of Education for VEP and a volunteer from this past summer.

This is just a very quick post about what it's like to stay in Otavalo, Ecuador for the summer. One of the most striking things about the town is how beautiful the scenery is. About a two hour bus ride from Quito, Otavalo is perched up high in the Andes, just a few miles north of the equator. Because of the high elevation, the temperature is most often between 60 and 75 degrees during the day, though it's not very strange to have a day that is 55 and raining or 80 and sunny. Also because of the altitude, it can be quite cold at night, and you may sunburn more easily despite often cloudy weather.

While the schools are further out from the town and some are in relatively rural settings, Otavalo itself is a decent sized town. It's laid out on a straight forward grid, which makes it easy to navigate, and it's a very safe town to walk around in. There are internet cafes where you can make phone calls to the US for 10 cents a minute or less, though this past year we had wireless internet at the hostel, so those of us who had our computers were just able to use skype to call home. There are plenty of different places to eat in town, and because so many tourist come to Otavalo, you can find everything from pizza to chinese food (though the quality varies greatly between restaurants). Eating out is generally very cheap--dinner often costs $5 or less, though the meals provided at the hostel are good as well (if bland--if you like spicy foods, you might want to bring your own pepper!).

Otavalo is home to a large handicraft market, and the market on Saturdays is one of the largest handicraft markets in South America. Some volunteers have trouble packing away all the gifts they buy for family and friends, because Ecuador is one of the few places where $5 can go quite a long way. Be sure to bargain, though, because people in the market know a naive tourist when they see one! Generally, the people are very friendly and love to strike up conversations, and we've had volunteers run into the parents of their students in the market.

Volunteers have their mornings and nights free to plan lessons and wander around the town, discovering fun places to visit, great bargains, and beautiful views. On weekends, volunteers have the option of going on guided hikes in the surrounding mountains. If you want a comfortable, safe, and fulfilling trip to South America, and are passionate about teaching and learning Spanish, the Village Education Project is for you!