Traveler's Corner

We spent 6 nights in Otavalo, out of which 5 were at the homely Rincon del Viajero just 2 blocks from the famous Plaza de Ponchos.

So... why only 5 nights out of 6 at Rincon del Viajero? Dazed and tired from a hectic border crossing from Colombia (which involved transport in 4 different vehicles, 6 luggage checks by the police, having our limbs pulled in 8 different directions by bus touts, getting dumped along a highway and some backtracking between the Colombian and Ecuadorian immigration booths), I just lucky-picked a hostel name from our guidebook and gave the address to the taxi driver. Hotel Riviera Sucre wasn't the cheapest of choices, but the travel guide promised "outstanding value" for the price. Plus, we figured that with it being foreign-run and nearer the top end, there would be free WiFi available in the hostel, which we had been hankering for - cos I don't like backlog on our blog!

Well, free (but slow - even a tortoise can crawl faster) WiFi and "outstanding value" certainly came at a cost. The lack of available rooms with shared bathrooms added to our hotel bill. At US$26 per room (with the promised agua caliente - which failed miserably), excluding breakfast, we could already visualise our money flying fast from our pockets (in the classic form of dollar notes with wings, flapping far into the clouds.)

So later that night, we went shopping - for a cheaper place to live out the rest of our week in Otavalo. We liked what we saw at Rincon del Viajero - good security, tranquil setting, cosy rooms, clean shared bathrooms, hot showers (yes, there really was agua caliente - lots of it!), friendly super-responsive staff and free WiFi (at a slightly faster crawling speed.) We negotiated a lower rate for our 5-night stay (considered lengthy for visitors to Otavalo who usually only descend upon the town on Friday for the Saturday market) and were rewarded with a US$2 discount for each night. The final price of US$18 was inclusive of tax and breakfast (fresh rolls, eggs and coffee!) We loved Rincon's proximity to Plaza de Ponchos (so that I could window shop en route to lunch everyday and sneakily suss out some coveted items before displaying any form of interest to the eager vendors), steaming fruit pies, awesome gelato, sweet nuts, heavenly chifas and stores blatantly hawking the latest movies on pirated DVDs (no, no, no, whoever said that I used to be an anti-piracy lawyer busting those enterprising copy pirates on raid after raid? Must have been my evil twin sister.)

I've posted a review on TripAdvisor singing praises of this little gem (it's still one, despite being listed in Lonely Planet's South America on a Shoestring which I see every other tourist toting around the continent) but the review is still pending approval. Do check back on the link to my reviews on our blog's sidebar for the full details.

Rincon del Viajero literally translates into "traveler's corner'. And rightly so. Not only was it physically located on the corner of 2 streets, it offered weary travelers a haven from the dusty roads and honking vehicles (but unfortunately, not from the yapping dogs from the nearby pet shops.)

The rooms lining one side of the corridor remind me of our HDB flats back home!

We had alot of fun with the lovely murals adorning the walls of the guesthouse. In fact, I think we were the only guests who shamelessly treated the place like our very own photo studio with various backdrops to pose with. Everybody else seemed to be serious shoppers, cool shooters sinking balls on the pool table or laid-back smokers puffing away along the corridors. Ah well, to each his own.

Ponchos, plaits and hats. Can't tell whether the two people in front are male or female - the men in Otavalo keep their hair long and wear it in braids!

He was muttering something about sore tummy muscles here

Good reading spot under the Volcan Cotacachi. Pity about the hole in the lake though.

Owning an iPod can make you the coolest person around here

Yes, doing an exact representation of how he treats his wife when nobody's looking

Rabbits are food for the condor. But don't play dead when you see one - this big lazy bird loves his meals to be as dead as a doornail!

If you're ever in Otavalo (don't worry, I had never heard of this place too until we started planning for this trip), do check out Rincon del Viajero for a good night's sleep.