Hixsons in Ecuador

Connie and I recently traveled to Quito Ecuador to do some teaching and medical consulting.  While in Ecuador, we traveled a few miles north of Quito to visit the Equator and an associated museum.  We also took an overnight trip to Otavalo, a town located about two hours north of Quito.  I had been told about this town by one of our colleagues.  The public bus to Otavalo was very modern and comfortable and cost about 2.50 USD.  Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar as its currency.

The attraction of Otavalo is that is has the largest outdoor handicraft market in South America.  We spent several hours wandering around the colorful market.  I took photographs and Connie purchased a sweater, two decorative pillow covers, a tablecloth and some items for the grandchildren.

After visiting the market, I wandered around the town and photographed some street scenes.

We are now back in Lima and working long hours.  The doctors in South America practice very differently from how we practice in the U.S.  Many of them do not seem to be skilled at obtaining detailed medical histories and performing careful exams and they rely too much on imaging studies.  We spend a lot of time trying to avoid unnecessary testing.

Now that we are in September, it has begun to warm up just a little.  The skies are still gray almost every day and mist is common.  One of the pleasures of traveling to Ecuador was seeing the bright blue sky.

In late October, we will be traveling to Cusco to attend a Church conference and do some more medical teaching.  We are planning to go to Machu Picchu.

Here are some photos I made in Otavalo Ecuador.

 Colorful yarn in the Otavalo market

 Hand embroidered decorative pillow covers in the Otavalo market

 A hand-weaved wall hanging found in the Otavalo market

Connie purchased a sweater from this woman in the Otavalo market.  Almost all of the women in the market wore these traditional gold necklaces.

While exploring the streets of Otavalo, I came across a secluded and colorful courtyard.  The cinder block walls were brightly painted and the benches were also painted to blend into the wall - very interesting.

This is another painted wall with a hanging flower pot that appears to be part of the painting.