The Otavalo market is so colorful and Otavaleños are such good sellers that it’s hard not to buy anything. While Jenna and Amy were on a quest for the perfect poncho and winter hat, I had a look at what street food sellers had in store. As I was considering getting myself some humitas, I noticed an old man standing by me and drinking a purple liquid out of a plastic cup. Segundo was trying to tell me how good his blackberry colada was. Despite his mumbling, he convinced me. I got myself a glass of colada de mora which was delicious, and he rewarded me with the most beautiful smile!

Showing a tourist how to wear a locally-made scarf

Multicolored pants

Otavalo market

Otavalo scene

Amy looking at Inti Raymi hats. Inti Raymi hats are worn during rituals celebrating the sun.

Jenna trying on a white poncho

Humitas (mashed corn, cheese, eggs and butter wrapped in a corn leaf) and blackberry colada for dinner.

Segundo advises me to have some blackberry colada

Children playing so not to be bored while their parents are selling clothes

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COUP D’OEIL A OTAVALO

Le marché d’Otavalo est si coloré, et les Otavaleños sont des vendeurs si doués qu’il est difficile de ne rien acheter, ne serait-ce que pour leur faire plaisir. Pendant que Jenna et Amy étaient en quête de poncho et bonnet mon estomac criait famine, alors je suis allée voir ce que les marchands ambulants avaient pour moi dans leurs tiroirs. Comme j’allais m’acheter quelques humitas pour me remplir la panse, je remarquai soudain un vieil debout à côté de moi en train de boir un liquide violet dans un gobelet en plastique. Segundo essayait de me dire combien la colada de mûres était succulente. Malgré ses marmonnements dus à des dents manquantes, il m’a convaincu. Je me suis offert un verre de colada de mora, délicieuse, et il m’a récompensé d’un sourire des plus sincères!

Otavalo, is a city in the Imbabura province just 2 hours North from Quito by bus.  The city is known throughout the country for being very indigenous and faithful to its Incan heritage, the men sport long hair kept in pony tails topped off with a fedora hat and peacock feather, while the women wear white blouses with colorful skirts and long strings of beads around their necks.

To walk around the Plaza de los Ponchos,  the epicenter of the indigenous market is to walk into a maze of colorful stalls selling wool sweaters, shrunken heads, t shirts, handcrafted jewelery and artwork depicting life in the region.  I am not a huge fan of markets, in fact I tend to steer clear of them whenever I travel as I never have room at home for any of the souvenirs I buy because I’m on the road more often then not.  With that being said, I am glad I came to this market and I even bought some souvenirs, gasp, but to me the only thing worth seeing here is usually what’s behind the stands, what’s hiding under the tables and walking behind the beautifully woven blankets that line the little corridors that criss-cross the market.  The people of Otavalo are the real treasure of the city, they are what made my trip out there memorable.  There is traditional music in the air, here and there you can spot bands of musicians walking around with their instruments, people dance in the plaza and in the streets, they speak Quechua, the Andean dialect of many indigenous people in the region, and are extremely proud of their heritage which is something that is truly a delight to watch.

When I visit a town, I love going to the market- or farmers’ market as you might call it. It is always a frantic area to explore with new sights and strong odors.
In Hoi An, I unfortunately missed the early tidal wave of conical hats getting off to the fish market at five o’clock in the morning. But I smelled freshly picked aromatic herbs, looked at yellow rice noodles used for traditionnal dish ”Cao lau,” and ate delicious shrimp dumplings poetically named ”white rose”.

Freshly picked aromatic herbs.

Vietnamese brooms and baskets.

The fish market of Hoi An.

Making sugar cane juice: ''nuoc mia.'' Yummy!

Drinking nuoc mia.

Hoi An.

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LE MARCHE AUX POISSONS DE HOI AN

En terre inconnue, j’aime toujours me balader du côté du marché. Il y a une frénésie indescriptible de couleurs, d’odeurs, de visions nouvelles.
A Hoi An, j’ai malheureusement manqué de peu la marée de chapeau conique arrivant au marché aux poissons à cinq heures du matin. Mais j’ai humé les herbes aromatiques fraîchement cueillies, regardé les nouilles de riz jaune utilisées pour le plat traditionnel ”cao lau”, et dégusté des raviolis à la crevette portant le poétique nom de ”rose blanche”.

This seemed to be creating a kind of buying frenzy, and just like the stock market at home, I had absolutely no clue what was happening.  But it was pretty entertaining to see it go down on the street.

Other than the eels I have no idea what the food here tastes like.  Maybe someday when its freer or I’m richer.

More pictures ahead…

Color shifting neon market alley.

Bryan makes a new friend, and then sings a song.

Five way intersection of food stalls.

Fish and nerds both have their own district in Tokyo, but Jed must once again make his home elsewhere…

So, there have been a lot of changes with JS0 recently, but one of them isn’t our release schedule: we should be back to every Monday with regularity now that our new site, trailer, and merch (hint hint, it’s awesome!) is underway.

This is the last episode in which I’ll be a character for a while: it was a blast living with the crew in Tokyo, but it was hard too.  I teach an animation class here at a university in Massachusetts and I needed to get back for the February start of the semester.  Because we’re flying so low under the radar I pay most of my own way editing the show while the cast pays its way recording it, and the reality is that traveling with the cast is too much of a financial drain for us right now.

Who knows though?  I might be back on the road before long.