On The Road Again

Today began unable to sleep at 4a.m. due to roosters, so I plugged in my iPod and listened to a book on tape until dawn. No television at Hotel Ali Shungu. By the way, this hotel, listed in Rough Guide as one of the best hotels and best deals in Otavalo, is for sale. Owned by an ex/pat American couple who built it 17 years ago. Beautiful gardens and grounds inside an estate type setting, my room has a balcony and I overlook one of the two volcanoes here...a stunning site every morning, during the day and into the dusk. Anyway the hotel has 16 rooms double and single and two much larger penthouse type spreads on the third floor, all with balconies overlooking the garden. Asking price, $495,000, with an incredible indigenous staff who are wonderful to guests and keep the place humming. Do the math. I will miss my volcano view as I leave tomorrow morning for Cuenca via Quito.


My last day in Otavalo today was spent touring artisan villages and beautiful Lake Cuicocha, a volcanic basin lake about 15 kilometres outside of town. Trucha, that is, trout lunch at Mirador Restaurant high above the lake. Great food and great view. Have spent just about the right amount of time here and looking forward to heading south and then to the coast. More tomorrow on the chicken bus ride back and on to Cuenca, purportedly the most beautiful colonial city in Ecuador.